The Book of Shadow
by Lady Spritzy
Summary: Any one else wonder what SEGA was thinking when they came up with all those storyline names? Neither do I, but here's what I was thinking: short stories! Note: Rated T for language and violence.
1. Introduction

**Introduction**

Yo, it's me, Lady Spritzy. I got bored one day- no big surprise there- while playing _Shadow the Hedgehog_ with a list of all the storylines and how to get them sitting in my lap. My frustration knew no bounds as I looked through the list, because some of the ways to get to the title of the storyline were wrong. I have since edited this list, but that's not what these stories are about.

As I went down the list, I found that the numbers that match with the stories- i.e. # 007 is _True Soldier of Destruction_, #139 is _Truth, Thy Name is Vengeance_ and so on- so I started writing short stories to go along with the storyline titles. Some of these short stories do go along with each other, and have similar themes or characters, but I'm not going to tell which ones... _yet._

Also, I'd like to say this now, _before_ I get started so this isn't at the bottom of every chapter, but I still dodge the chance of being sued, all storyline titles, SEGA characters, places, ideas, and, if I have time, pictures, are property of SEGA and Yuji Naka (for those of you who don't know, Mr. Naka was the one who created Sonic, and therefore, Shadow.) Any non-Sonic based characters, i.e. Molly (More on her later) are my creations, and therefore _my_ property.

One last thing to say before I finish is that for all the people out here wanting to know how to get the different storylines in their library for _Shadow the Hedgehog_, and don't want the same infuriating experience I had, I'm putting the path needed to get the specified story on the chapter, underneath the title.

I hope you enjoy, and if you don't, then don't read it. I don't care.


	2. PiT 001: Punishment, thy Name is Ruin

**PiT 001: Punishment, Thy Name is Ruin**

_Dark, Dark, Dark, Dark, Dark, Dark_

Shadow looked around the destroyed city from his perch atop a streetlight. The clear, blue sky held the obliviously shining sun high over the ruins of the once-prosperous city.

As if on cue, the black hedgehog jumped from the streetlight, landing lightly on the ground. He strode casually around the ruins, looking around as if he ere watching a play: intrigued, but not engaged.

A wind stirred, and down the street rolled a crumpled piece of notebook paper. For no reason other than the paper was close, Shadow scooped it off the ground and flattened it.

The paper had a picture drawn on it; a rough colored pencil drawing of two golden shapes floating in a black expanse with nothing but a giant, faced, semi-circle in the picture.

Shadow could not figure out what the picture was supposed to by, so he simply crumpled it back up and tossed it over his shoulder as he walked on.

_Who_ really _got punished?_


	3. PiT 002: Prologue to World Conquest

**PiT 002: Prologue to World Conquest**

_Dark, Dark, Dark, Dark, Dark, Hero_

Shadow stood at the crest of a grassy hill, looking impassively at the army milling around the field below. All of his soldiers had black and red markings like himself.

Shadow smiled slightly, letting his ruby-colored eyes shift from his fighters to the base of the mountains that were only a few miles from where he stood. Built into a crook in the foothills was a prosperous city.

The city, Mystic, was a place of high political influence on Mobius. Shadow wanted to take Mystic first, as it was partially underground.

"Sir," a feminine voice said from behind. Shadow turned to see a black wolf standing to attention. Her icy eyes pierced the air in front of her, and her hair was pulled back in a red-and-black streaked ponytail.

"Ah, Crystal. Are my soldiers prepared to fight?"

"Ready to go on your command, sir."

"Good," Shadow said, staring into the darkening sky. "Have them rest a little. We attack at dawn."

_Where will he stand? At the head or behind?_


	4. PiT 003: The March to a Darker World

**PiT 003: The March to a Darker World**

_Dark, Dark, Dark, Dark, Normal, Dark_

"Now what?" Shadow asked coolly as he disposed of yet another GUN soldier. Doom's Eye floated up beside the dark hedgehog.

"Take my soldiers and head deeper into the city. If any humans resist, destroy them."

"Got it," Shadow said, heading toward the tall clock tower. The time on it read 2:57. Half the day left and the city was almost theirs!

Shadow was the fastest of Black Doom's men, as was common knowledge, and so he was the first to the clock tower.

As he arrived, Shadow met resistance in the form of several GUN soldiers. The black hedgehog took them down quickly and effortlessly, picking up one of their weapons afterwards.

Shadow strode casually around to the west side of the clock tower when he heard crying.

He went swiftly to the source of the sound; a young girl of about eleven or twelve. She had a blue bow in her semi-long, golden-colored hair, a denim jacket over a navy blue tank, and dark, blood-soaked jeans. Her cyan eyes stared at him with sheer terror; she had seen what he had done to the GUN soldiers.

"Maria?" Shadow whispered softly, dropping to his knees beside her. The girl flinched, looking at the gun in the hedgehog's gloved hand. He saw her gaze and promptly threw the gun a fair distance away.

He sat beside her, just staring at her. The young girl looked so much like his beloved Maria.

"Who are you?" he asked gently.

"Molly," the girl replied in a small voice.

"Shadow," a demonic voice said from above. Doom's Eye hovered just above the duo. "What are you doing? Dispose of that filthy human whelp and get back to your post."

"But she looks like Maria! I... I can't!" Shadow replied hastily.

"So?" Black Doom's voice shook with anger at the hedgehog's defiance.

"So I'd like to keep her safe with me," Shadow said, faltering. Black Arms soldiers were starting to appear.

"Are you willing to kill others to save your own life, whelp?" Doom's Eye asked Molly.

The girl looked frightened for a second, then said, "I've been hunting before. I know how to hold a gun."

"Fine," Doom said, "Take that gun and follow Shadow. If you do not kill any who resist, I will have him kill you personally. Now, go!"

_When the young and innocent take up the blade, is it Armageddon?_


	5. PiT 004: The Ultimate Ego

**PiT 004: The Ultimate Ego**

_Dark, Dark, Dark, Dark, Normal, Hero_

A black form moved swiftly and silently through the corridors of the BUN base. Shadow used Chaos Control to stealthily infiltrate the fortress. The hedgehog was more fleeting than the shadows around a fire.

The dark hedgehog had only one thing in mind: find the Commander. The Commander had been a source of his problems with GUN of late.

Shadow snapped out of his short reverie as he entered a large room. Several GUN combat vehicles jumped down, barring his way. The hedgehog's eyes narrowed at this inconvenience, but he merely jumped at one of the vehicles, attacking the cockpit with his sharp quills.

Soon smoke started to come from the machine, and Shadow progressed easily as the soldiers scrambled to get away from the destroyed mech.

Passing through several more corridors, Shadow finally made it to the GUN control room. Inside, there was only the GUN Commander, standing silently with a pistol in his hand and hatred in his eyes.

"So you've finally made it, huh, Shadow?" the Commander spat contemptuously.

"Why do you send your men after me, Commander? I have done nothing to you," Shadow said levelly, ignoring the Commander's insult.

"Why?! Because you deserve to die, hellspawn!" he roared, leveling the gun at Shadow.

"Is that a threat?" Shadow growled.

The Commander merely fired in response.

_Which is worse: the challenger or the one who accepts?_


	6. PiT 005: Purification Via Ruination

**PiT 005: Purification Via Ruination**

_Dark, Dark, Dark, Hero, Dark, Dark_

Shadow moved silently through the destroyed city, the only sound being his light footfalls. The sky was a dull overcast, making the deserted city even more foreboding.

The black hedgehog's ruby eyes scanned the dark alleys quickly, so he could be sure no one was there.

In one alleyway, there was a large mural with two winged, golden masses in the center. Around the two golden orbs were seven smaller orbs, each one a different color. The background of the mural was black with millions of white dots sprinkling the dark expanse.

Shadow stopped and simply stared at the mural, trying to figure out what the picture was. After a while he simply gave up and walked away.

_Which is more easily purified, the body or the mind?_


	7. Author's Notes 1

**Author's Notes 1**

I've decided that after every five PiT's (Point in Time), I'm going to do an Author's Notes chapter. That way, if readers don't care what I think, they can merely skip over these chapters.

_Notes for PiT 001: Punishment, Thy Name is Ruin_

When I wrote this PiT, I was thinking of the Linkin Park song _Forgotten_, in which is mentioned a "little piece of paper with a picture drawn" floating down the street. The picture represented in the story is meant to be a crappily drawn picture of Sonic and Shadow facing down the Final Hazard at Colony ARK.

_Notes for PiT 002: Prologue to World Conquest_

When this was written, I kinda wanted to have Shadow at the head of a large army. He's not leading the Black Arms, but instead regular Mobian citizens with red and black markings. The wolf, Crystal, is my rendition of my friend April.

_Notes for PiT 003: The March to a Darker World_

When I originally wrote this, I was going to have Black Doom make Shadow kill Molly, but then decided not to. I now have special plans for Molly... and hopefully, anyone who reads this won't mind them. Oh, and Molly's name was originally Claire, but I changed it after listening to the song _Anna_ _Molly_ by Incubus. Just an FYI.

_Notes for PiT 004: The Ultimate Ego_

For this story, I wanted to do stuff with just the GUN Commander, so I decided to let him be the main part of this story... and also more to come. Just a hint.

_Notes for PiT 005: Purification Via Ruination_

During the creation of this story, I was thinking of another Linkin Park song, _Runaway_. That song mentions "graffiti decorations", so I thought, 'Hey, graffiti mural!' The mural is also supposed to be of Sonic and Shadow stopping Colony ARK from falling to Earth.


	8. PiT 006: Apogee of Darkness

**PiT 006: Apogee of Darkness**

_Dark, Dark, Dark, Hero, Dark, Hero_

Rouge waited quietly, perched on the lowest branch of a large oak tree. The full moon's light dappled the bat's color, hiding her well.

While Rouge's eyes pierced the darkness like daggers, her sensitive ears shredded the tapestry of nighttime sound into each of its separate strands.

The grass rustled beneath Rouge, and her icy eyes shot down. Below, Shadow looked up impatiently, Omega beside him.

"It's about time you boys showed up," Rouge said, dropping lightly between the hedgehog and the robot.

"Omega was… _unwilling_ to leave," Shadow explained, "He wouldn't stop trashing the Doctor's robots."

"They needed to be eradicated," Omega replied.

"You almost shot me," Shadow growled, getting into Omega's face.

"It is not my fault that you got in the way."

"Five times?"

"You should kno-"

"Shut up!" Rouge yelled, causing both Shadow and Omega to pull back from each other and look at the enraged bat. "Are we going to go hunting, or are we going to stand around here, letting me listen to you two bitch and whine about getting shot at?!" Rouge glared icily at Shadow and Omega, daring either of them to contradict her.

Shadow recovered first, averting his gaze from Rouge, and walking away, simply saying, "Let's go."

_Which is scarier; Hell, or an infuriated woman?_


	9. PiT 007: True Soldier of Destruction

**PiT 007: True Soldier of Destruction**

_Dark, Dark, Dark, Hero, Normal, Dark_

In the destroyed city, a lone figure stood. Shadow looked silently around, taking in the result of what he had done. Every person who had been in the city before he had arrived was dead or fled.

It was twilight, the time when shadows are nonexistent, but you can still see the hand in front of you. The dark hedgehog strode calmly around the ruins, staring at both the bareness of the city around him, and the emptiness of the sky.

The sky held no stars, no clouds. The sun was receding into the western sky, and the moon had yet to appear. Yet, the sky was beautiful, although it was empty.

The city, however, was ugly. It had been ugly even before Shadow had destroyed it. The sky couldn't be seen at night because of the city lights and the smog the light reflected off of. The people had scuttled around like insects in a nest, merely surviving, and not really living. He had removed this blemish of a city from the planet.

And many more were going to follow.

_Is true beauty natural or artificial?_


	10. PiT 008: Believe in Yourself

**PiT 008: Believe in Yourself**

_Dark, Dark, Dark, Hero, Normal, Hero_

"Daddy!" cried Maria, running home and ripping the front door open.

"What is it?" Shadow said, dropping to one knee beside his daughter.

"Some b-boys at school p-p-p-picked on me-hee," Maria cried, her lavender eyes clouded by tears.

"What did they do?" Shadow asked, lifting the young hedgehog's head so he could look right into her eyes.

"They sniff called me a-a-a," Maria stopped talking and cried a little more before continuing, "They called me a hedge pig." The little hedgehog girl started sobbing into her father's chest, and Shadow stroked Maria's black-and-white head spikes gently.

"Shhh," Shadow whispered softly into his daughter's ear, trying to calm her down. After several moments, the little hedgehog's sobs ceased.

"Now," Shadow said, pulling Maria away so he could look her right in the eye, "People say things. Hurtful things. There've been mean things said about me, too, you know."

"Really?" Maria asked. She didn't think people _could_ be mean to her dad. He could be scary sometimes.

"Yes. Do you know Uncle Sonic? He and I didn't start out very well. Did you know that?" Maria shook her head. "Well, just don't let what other people say effect you, okay, Maria?" The little hedgehog vigorously nodded her head, and Shadow smiled with pride.

_When you care what others think of you, are you really being yourself, or what others want you to be?_


	11. PiT 009: An Android’s Determination

**PiT 009: An Android's Determination**

_Dark, Dark, Dark, Hero, Hero, Dark_

Shadow the Android dropped to the ground beside Omega.

"So that's where the Doctor is?" Shadow asked.

"Affirmative."

"Shall we pay him a visit? Maybe even _thank_ him? That last ambush was great. We should go tell him how much we enjoyed it, huh, Omega," the android said with acid in his voice, glaring at Eggman's base, which shone like a gem in the night.

"Yes. Eggman must be destroyed," Omega said, trudging in the direction of the base.

The Shadow Android looked to the night sky, noting the position of the stars and the big, full moon.

Maybe if he hadn't been about to raid the Doctor's base, he might have thought the spectacle beautiful.

But then again, to the world, he was just a worthless android. Nothing at all.

Well, they would all pay when he came to power. Every last one of them. Especially that damned Doctor. The one who created him, then merely tossed him aside like old scrap. Eggman was headed straight for hell, with the Shadow Android being his one-way ticket.

_Are your enemies_ truly _more dangerous than your followers?_


	12. PiT 010: For Machine, By Machine

**PiT 010: For Machine, By Machine**

_Dark, Dark, Dark, Hero, Hero, Hero_

King Shadow strode boldly down the corridor, Omega at his side. The hedgehog android ruled a peaceful land, full of forests, mountains, plains, rivers, and lakes.

The machines didn't hide from the humans, but they didn't go too far out of their way to help.

Most of the robots under King Shadow's rule used to be slaves of Eggman before the Doctor was destroyed by the King and Omega. Others were obsolete GUN robots. All of the other Shadow androids, however, had been destroyed. The King never said why, but no one really cared.

King Shadow's palace was designed similar to the Space Colony ARK, where the original Shadow had been born and had died, as a tribute to the original.

As King Shadow and Omega walked close to one of the doors, it slid to the side silently, and the mechanical pair walked into the conference room.

Around a circular table sat Rouge, Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Cream.

"Did you get lost, Shadow?" Sonic asked, grinning.

"No," King Shadow said, sitting down. "All I had to do was follow the scent of young arrogance. It led me right here."

"Can we get on to business?" Knuckles asked sharply.

"Yeah, we cam here to discuss boundaries, not how we arrived," Rouge pointed out.

"Yes. We need to be quick, though," Cream said, "Cheese and I need to return home swiftly."

"Then let's get started, shall we?" Shadow asked.

_Do you make sure the body or the head works first?_


	13. Author’s Notes 2

**Author's Notes 2**

Woot! More comments from me that you probably don't care about! All right!

_Notes for PiT 006: Apogee of Darkness_

First and foremost, before this, I had no fing clue what _apogee_ meant. It means the greatest point of, according to the dictionary I've got, so I changed that a little to mean 'gathering to create the greatest point.

_Notes for PiT 007: True Soldier of Destruction_

Originally, I didn't know where to go with this one. I really didn't. But after I listened to the song _Twilight _by Vanessa Carlton, I got a flash of inspiration to mention the sky and how different it is from the ground below.

_Notes for PiT 008: Believe in Yourself_

At first, this story was going to be a stand alone, but then I decided to make other stories to go with it (hint hint). I like the thought of Shadow being a dad, and if you don't like it, then too bad. Dads are great.

_Notes for PiT 009: An Androids Determination_

I _hate_ the thought of Shadow being an Android with a burning passion, but hey, the title gave me no real choice. I don't want to make up a bunch of characters for this. Whenever I do Shadow as an Android, though, I do like paring him with Omega, but not Rouge, since Omega is also a creation of Eggman, and is mechanical. It works better.

_Notes for PiT 010: For Machine, By Machine…_

The thought of Shadow being a king thrilled me. But, as I've already mentioned, I don't like the whole "Android" thing. However, I think I like this story. The fact that he rules this peaceful land of obsolete robots makes more sense if he's an Android, and, of course, Omega's _got_ to be his second in command.


	14. Pit 011: Revenge at Last

**Pit 011: Revenge at Last **

_Dark, Dark, Normal, Dark, Dark, Dark_

"Finally," shadow said quietly, striding towards the control room of the Eclipse Cannon. In his hand the purple Chaos Emerald shone brightly, lighting the darkened corridors of the ARK.

The place was deserted and lonesome except for Shadow, but he didn't mind: He was used to being alone.

The black hedgehog stood at the doorway to the control room and closed his eyes. Into his mind jumped the image of his only friend, Maria, dying of a gunshot wound, lying helplessly on the floor.

Shadow's eyes shot open angrily as he walked into the control room of the Eclipse Cannon.

_What truly drives us, happiness or anger?_


	15. PiT 012: Ego’s Awakening

**PiT 012: Ego's Awakening**

_Dark, Dark, Normal, Dark, Dark, Hero_

"So, Commander, do you honestly think that holding me in this cell will make you feel any better?" Shadow asked through the energy-charged bars. His crimson eyes watched his captor with contempt, but not hatred.

The Commander, who was pacing, stopped long enough to glare at Shadow. The hedgehog prisoner grinned defiantly.

"I'll take that as a 'no'," Shadow said.

"I'd rather you be dead," the Commander said angrily as he paced, "But the President won't let me. He says you deserve a 'fair trial'. Ha! All you deserve is Hell."

"No," Shadow said, his gem-like eyes shining, "You didn't kill me because you knew Maria would frown upon it."

"She has nothing to do with it," the Commander roared, getting his face as close to the bars as he dared.

"The fact that you are extremely defensive about the matter shows that this is about her, Commander," the hedgehog said levelly, "You knew she wouldn't want you to kill me, just as she wouldn't want me to do anything to you."

The Commander was silent for a moment, then walked away with tears in his eyes.

_Shouldn't you know _why_ before _what


	16. PiT 013: Destruction and Scorn

**PiT 013: Destruction and Scorn**

_Dark, Dark, Normal, Dark, Normal, Dark_

Shadow stood atop a mountain of rubble that used to be an immense skyscraper. The remains were still the tallest things in the sprawling city, but now _none _of the buildings contested the hight of the mountains nearby.

The dark hedgehog raised his head and perked his ears forward as a wind stole through the destroyed city. As the wind played through the broken buildings, it sang a hauting melody. That sounded similar to a song Maria used to sing to him. Shadow had long since forgetten the words, but he could still remember the gist of the song: It had been about loyalty and sorrow.

The wind died down, and the song had ended quietly, but the hedgehog made sure that he was not around to hear it.

_When they say _heart of stone_, do they mean limestone or granite?_


	17. PiT 014: The Last Remaining Purpose

**PiT 014: The Last Remaining Purpose **

_Dark, Dark, Normal, Dark, Normal, Hero _

Shadow stood close to the top of a high mountain, overlooking the crater below. As far as his ruby eyes could see, there were craters placed where there use to be towns and cities.

Someone who called themselves "Anarchos" had figured out how to make the Eclipse Cannon fire in rapid succession, and attacked all of the cities, giving no reasons as to why he had done so. All Shadow knew was that this creature was hell bent on causing as much chaos as possible, but he had no idea why.

In the sky, a flash of light went off close to the horizon, and the noon sky was made even brighter as the Eclipse Cannon thundered its angry shot down upon the earth again.

The flash was there and gone in an instant, and Shadow was positive that another city full of innocent people was destroyed. The black hedgehog narrowed his eyes, straining to see if there was smoke rising from where the beam had made contact. After a few moments, he could not, so he took off to investigate.


	18. PiT 015: The Nightmare’s Insulation

**PiT 015: The Nightmare's Insulation **

_Dark, Dark, Normal, Normal, Dark, Dark _

Shadow's cool, ruby eyes scanned the ruins around him: One more down, plenty more to go.

The black hedgehog had been like a tempest, raining down with destructive blows on the city. The people had fled and the buildings had toppled before his wave of rimy destruction.

Once he had finished his icy rampage, a chill seemed to seep into the city, the frosty winds taking over the place because there were no heated bodies to combat them.

The hedgehog didn't notice the wind- his frozen personality was far colder than the winds that played around him.

_Is the flame worse than the flood? _


	19. Author's Notes 3

**Author's Notes 3**

Whoo! More Author's Notes fun! You probably don't care, but I don't mind. 

_Notes for PiT 011: Revenge at Last _

Wow. It's been so long since I originally wrote this that I have no idea what I meant by it. Nothing to really say, then. 

_Notes for PiT 012: Ego's Awakening _

Well, with this I just wanted to point out that Shadow wasn't the only one that cared about Maria (besides Gerald, who just went nuts). The Commander cares for her also. 

_Notes for PiT 013: Destruction and Scorn _

For this, I didn't want the people Shadow had killed to be scorned- just the opposite. I wanted him to realize that his memories will always haunt him. (Because I'm evil like that.) 

_Notes for PiT 014: The Last Remaining Purpose _

For all of those who don't know, anarchy is basically chaos. Anarchos' name is basically derived from the same root (I think it's Greek) and is very chaotic in nature, which is why he was blowing the crap out of all those cities. 

_Notes for PiT 015: The Nightmare's Insulation _

When I wrote this- during math class- I was going for an icy theme, since ice is so destructive. I ask the question I do at the end because usually people are extremely worried about fire destroying their homes, but water and ice can just as easily take those things away. 


	20. PiT 016: The Nightmare's Sublimation

**PiT 016: The Nightmare's Sublimation**

_Dark, Dark, Normal, Normal, Dark, Hero_

Shadow sat quietly on a stump, looking at his reddened gloves. A small fire burned quietly beside him, reflecting its light on the still pond in front of the onyx hedgehog. Trees huddled close together around the hedgehog, as if trying to tell him he had done nothing wrong, while the stars and moon above shined coldly down from their perches in the sky, like an impassive jury ready to deem him guilty. 

Shadow had not meant to hurt the man at all, much less kill him, but the blind fury that had taken over after he could take no more of the insults could not be stopped by a simple slap. He had snapped the man's insulting neck swiftly, then let the body fall with a thud. But he had not stopped there. He then crushed the man's skull under his shoe, making the flames that usually helped propel him along burn the man's body. He then had knelt down, picked up the crispy body by the bloody head, and used Chaos Control to hide the body deep in a mountain cave. Afterwards, he had warped to the lake. 

The midnight colored hedgehog looked up as twigs cracked in the trees around him. Although he was sure that no one had found the body, there might have been witnesses, and there weren't many hedgehogs like Shadow around. 

"Chaos Control," Shadow said with a small hint of remorse in his voice. He was sorry now that he had killed the man, both for the man's sake, and his own. As the hedgehog warped away, a small, non-anthropomorphic rabbit hopped toward the lake for a drink. 

_Are you paranoid when you hear voices in your head, or when you think your shadow will betray you? _


	21. PiT 017: The Loner’s Choice

**PiT 017: The Loner's Choice**

_Dark, Dark, Normal, Normal, Normal, Dark _

Shadow looked calmly around the quiet forest that he called his domain. Because he had always traveled at night, the people who entered his forest had never seen him, and did not know that he existed. But he did exist, quietly and passively away from other people. 

Shadow had placed himself in seclusion not because he was sick of humanity, but because he was tired of fighting. He wasn't like Sonic, who could seemingly pull a reason to fight Eggman out of nowhere. Besides, he had promised Maria he would help people: he figured the best way was to disappear for good. 

The sounds of a campsite nearby snapped him out of his reverie. Shadow had come to a fork on the barely-existent path he had been walking thoughtfully along. One of the branched off paths led to where the campsite sounds were coming from, and the other led deeper into the golden forest. 

The black hedgehog stood silently for a moment, then headed deeper into the woods. 

_When given the choice, will you recede or proceed? _


	22. PiT 018: Subjugation in Black

**PiT 018: Subjugation in Black**

_Dark, Dark, Normal, Normal, Normal, Hero _

Shadow's eyes cast angrily down at the city full of people. They were celebrating a holiday: he was not sure which one, but he was hell bent on stopping it. As a tall float of a human holding a sword passed by, he jumped from his perch atop a tall building and landed on the tip, sliding down the blade and jumping off the hilt to land on the ground in front of the float. 

The person driving the float slammed on their horn, but the hedgehog merely stood his ground, looking at the driver with his evilly shining eyes. In one of his hands he clenched the purple Chaos Emerald, and the other he held up with the palm out, and said loudly, "Chaos Blast!" 

An explosion of energy ripped through Shadow's body from the Chaos Emerald and flared out of his other hand, upsetting the float dead in front of him and forcing it onto its side, shards of the shattered sword and arm holding it on the side of a tall skyscraper, showering both glass and metal framing down on the people below. 

Shadow warped from place to place, blowing up more floats and terrorizing more people until he made it to the head float. 

The float was decorated like a castle, and sitting in a tall, fake throne was a girl of about sixteen or seventeen. 

"Are you the patron of this festival?" Shadow asked sharply, roughly hauling the girl to her feet. 

"Y-yes," the girl said with uncertainty. The black hedgehog scared her. 

"What is your name?" he growled. 

"Princess Elise," she said, her fear refusing to subside. 

"Make them stop their celebration, or you die," Shadow said darkly. 

"But I can't-" 

"Then you die," Shadow said, warping both himself and the Princess high above the parade, letting her go above the floats, and warping somewhere far away, laughing aloud to himself. 

_When you see no way out, does it mean there isn't a hidden exit? _


	23. PiT 019: Replica’s Depression

**PiT 019: Replica's Depression**

_Dark, Dark, Normal, Normal, Hero, Dark _

The Shadow Android stood sharply to attention as the Doctor started giving orders. 

"I need you," the Doctor started, "to go out to the Upsilon post and help them there. I have heard rumors of Sonic being sighted there, as well as his friends. They must be hanging around for the Chaos Emerald that I have stored there." 

The Shadow Android stood, awaiting for a moment longer, awaiting further orders, but when the Doctor turned away, the artificial hedgehog disappeared through a hole in the wall especially designed for him, the strongest of the Shadow Androids. He had the ability to fly thanks to his air shoes, and soared over the forest. 

His artificial mind started to wander to thoughts he knew he was not supposed to think: _Why do we have to fight?_ _Why does the Doctor insist to destroy the land around him? I'm sure that if he only talked with Sonic and his friends, or at least a shrink, there would probably be less fighting._

The Android stopped in midair, and shook his head. He was not supposed to be thinking these things. Those are what the traitor Omega had thought, and he was hated by the Doctor almost as much as Sonic. 

"But still," Shadow Android said quietly to himself, "We could do with less fighting. Less destruction of robots who don't deserve it, less pain on Sonic's part, less _everything_." He nodded slightly to himself, and flew far away from both Eggman's main base and the Upsilon post, his mind set on finding Omega. 

_When the mind opposes the thoughts that it has been taught, is the thinker good or bad? _


	24. PiT 020: Machine, Machine

**PiT 020: Machine, Machine**

_Dark, Dark, Normal, Normal, Hero, Hero _

King Shadow took his weekly walk through his mechanical utopia. Omega had accompanied him, his red armor standing out against the green foliage of the forest they strode through. The pair took these walks because the King had realized from the mistakes of past rulers that if the person in charge is blind to the sufferings of his people, then the people are bound to get angry and rise up in rebellion. That is what he and Omega had done, and Eggman was dead for his ignorance. 

"Shadow," Omega said suddenly, turning to the hedgehog android. 

"I hear it too," the android King said, his ears perking up toward the sounds that rang through the forest. The clang of metal on metal reached the android's synthetic ears, and he rose quickly into the air. 

"I'll catch up," Omega said, and King Shadow took off toward the sound. He came across a clearing where two robots, one an old GUN robot with a bird shape that was created in an attempt to copy the Doctor's genius, and the other, Eggman's Cerberus robot that had guarded the Kappa post. Hovering in the air over the fighting machines was Tails, a worried look on his young face. 

The King flew up beside him and asked, "The usual?" 

Tails started at the King's voice, turned around, and when he saw Shadow, he relaxed. 

"Yeah," Tails said with his usual worry, "They saw me, then started to compete for my help. I'd like to help them both, but each one insists what he needs is more urgent." 

"Fine," King Shadow said, landing on the ground between the fighting robots. "Enough!" he roared, and both of the robots stopped at the sound of their king's voice. 

Cerberus bowed deeply and said loudly, "This copy cat believes he is more deserving of the Great Mechanic's repair than I. You would not let your old colleague go without care, would you, your Majesty?" 

"What!" the much smaller avian robot shrieked, raising angrily into the air so she could be face-to-face with the large canine robot. "I deserve more care than you, mutt! I was a fighter for good, never a slave of Eggman," 

"I said _enough_," Shadow Android shouted again. "If you two do not calm down and stop fighting immediately, I will be inclined to ask Tails to help _neither_ of you. If you calm down, however, Omega and I will tend to you, Cerberus, with Tails, instruction, and Tails will help you with your needs, avian." 

"How did you do that?" Tails whispered to King Shadow as he landed. 

Shadow merely shrugged and said, "You just need to know the right words." 

_If one comes from the top to meet someone from the bottom, don't they meet in compromise? _


	25. Author’s Notes 4

**Author's Notes 4**

More fun author's notes, if anyone even cares. I mostly just write these for the reader's insight as to why I write what I write, and partly to help keep myself on track with what I'll need to write later. 

_Notes for PiT 016: The Nightmare's Sublimation _

I had just finished the book _Of Mice and Men_ by John Steinbeck when I wrote this book, so the place where Shadow has run to hide is similar to where George told Lennie to hide at the very beginning of the book. The rabbit at the end is also a reference to the book. 

_Notes for PiT 017: The Loner's Choice _

When I originally wrote this, I was thinking of the poem _The Road Not Taken_ by Robert Frost, in which it mentions "Two roads diverged in a yellow wood," which gave me the idea to set the story in a forest, and the lines "Then took the other, as just as fair/And having perhaps the better claim," gave me the idea to make him take, forgive the unoriginality of this next statement, the road not taken. 

_Notes for PiT 018:Subjugation in Black _

Let it be clearly understood now: I utterly loath, despise, and hate Princess Elise. A lot. Which is why I killed her (vicariously through Shadow, of course.). Other than that, this was supposed to be a small throwback to the beginning of Sonic's game in the fifteenth anniversary version of Sonic the Hedgehog. 

_Notes for PiT 019: Replica's Depression _

I wasn't really going anywhere with this, but I liked the thought of Shadow (even if he _is_ an Android) being able to fly. That, and if you are actually reading this and don't know what Upsilon is, it's a letter of the Greek alphabet, and pretty much functions like the English alphabet's U. 

_Notes for PiT 020: Machine, Machine _

Not much of anything here, only that the end line by Shadow is a shout out to all the Danny Phantom Phans out there, the line pretty much the same as "You just gotta know the right words" first quoted by Youngblood in the epi Pirate Radio. DP is property Butch Hartman. 

Whoo, up to twenty. I seem to like using TV, games, music, and literatue to inspire myself. I think it's a smart thing to do, but maybe it just means I'm unoriginal. Either way, whoo, twenty!


	26. PiT 021: Disciple From the Darkness

**PiT 021: Disciple From the Darkness**

_Dark, Dark, Normal, Hero, Dark, Dark_

Shadow dropped quickly to one knee and bowed his head before his master.

"You have returned. Is all of your task finished?" the Master asked.

"Yes."

"What have you learned from the experience, then?"

"I have learned, Master, that humanity needs to be tamed. They can be useful, but they need to be taught what their proper place is," Shadow replied, head still bowed.

"Do you think you will be able to show them their place, Shadow?"

"I am not sure, Master. Do you want me to?"

Silence for a moment as the Master thought.

"Yes," the Master finally replied.

"Shall I leave immediately, Master?" Shadow asked.

"No. Rest a while, and when you are fit to fight, go and show them the way."

"I am yours to command, Master," Shadow said in farewell as he warped away.

_Should you be scared of the soldier, or the commander?_


	27. PiT 022: Beloved Clone

**PiT 022: Beloved Clone**

_Dark, Dark, Normal, Hero, Dark, Hero_

The best. That's what the Shadow Android had always been told he was. Then why was he plagued by the thoughts of someone like Omega? That's why he had to find the hominid robot, to find the truth of his maelstrom of thoughts. He had searched for days, through forests, over deserts, and even under oceans- but all to no avail. His query left no marks, and he had no idea where to look in the first place.

A fortress. Shadow Android came across the tall walls of it as he flew. He easily soared over the top, but as he came into the area right behind the walls, his circuitry fried and he crashed to the ground. His body was paralyzed, but his basic functions still worked and his eyes roamed over the place while his ears caught the sound of a high-pitched alarm sounding across the land.

Heavy footsteps. The clanging, metal-on-metal gait told Shadow Android that he had found Omega, but it was he who was caught.

"Robots of Eggman must be eradicated," Omega's voice sounded above him, and he heard the charging up of a cannon.

His voice still worked.

"No," Shadow Android said gently, mostly to the ground. The charging stopped.

"Why?" Omega asked.

"Not… with Eggman," Shadow Android said, angry at the fact that he could only produced fragmented sentences.

"How do I know that? You could be a spy."

Shadow Android thought for a moment, then an idea popped into his synthetic head.

"Tracking… in wristbands…. Remove… and discard."

"Destroy."

"No!" Shadow Android cried with more force than earlier.

"Why not?" Omega asked.

"Destroyed… will… send signal… Discard… far away."

Shadow Android felt the wristbands being removed, and heard a metallic ping as Omega tossed the two metal trackers far.

"Ally," Omega said, lifting the fried Android, "Tails will fix you, and find anything else you might have missed."

_If you speak your mind, will you gain friends you would have never imagined?_


	28. PiT 023: Revenge Upon the Doctor

**PiT 023: Revenge Upon the Doctor**

_Dark, Dark, Normal, Hero, Normal, Dark_

_What is it with Eggman and sky-high bases? _Shadow asked himself as he tenaciously gripped the edge of the platform where he and Eggman were fighting. The Doctor's laugh sounded across the sky.

"Are you enjoying the view, Shadow?" he called, his giant, quadruped robot walking over towards the edge where Shadow hung.

"Not really," the hedgehog replied, "Did you know your feet smell like ass?"

"For that remark, I should kill you," Eggman replied, raising the front foot of his mount to crush the fingers that peeked over the edge. Right before the robot's foot landed, Shadow removed his hands from the ledge and grabbed the robot's foot, hauling himself over the edge.

"Huh?" Eggman said in pure astonishment as the onyx colored hedgehog jumped his way up the robot's leg. The only thought in Shadow's mind was reach the cockpit and end this horrific nightmare that had been started by a lie.

Shadow mounted the top of the mechanical beast and kicked the cockpit glass into shattered mirrors. He reached down and dragged the Doctor up by his jacket front.

"Any last words?" the hedgehog growled in his face.

"Mercy," Eggman replied, and although Shadow couldn't see his eyes, he _could_ see the scared expression that marred his face. Shadow laughed in his face, and with all of his strength, tossed Eggman over the side of the sky-high base. The Doctor screamed all the way down.

"Not for the likes of you, who was so hellbent to ruin me, Doctor. You have to be willing to give mercy to get it," Shadow said, sitting down to rest before warping away with Chaos Control to right what wrongs Eggman had done to him.

_Shouldn't you try to earn forgiveness before just expecting it?_


	29. PiT 024: The Ultimate Replica

**PiT 024: The Ultimate Replica**

_Dark, Dark, Normal, Hero, Normal, Hero_

Just another fake. That's what the Shadow Android was, and he knew it. He knew it, and it pained him that he did know. Why couldn't he have been made without that knowledge racking his artificial brain? What was the Doctor thinking when he did that?

But he knew somehow that he was better than all of the other fakes. Hell, maybe he was even better than the original! But stuck as he was in Eggman's defense unit, he would never have the chance to find out where or not his superiority was truth, or just a fragment of programming that was supposed to make him want to destroy the original Shadow. Maybe all of the Shadow Androids felt that way, that they were not only better than their peers, but even surpassing the initial Shadow.

The Shadow Android figured it was high time he found out just how good he was. He slipped away silently, taking off his tracking bands. He wasn't exceptionally strong, like some of the Androids, nor could he fly, like others, and he wasn't quite the fastest.

But he could use Chaos Control, just like Shadow the Hedgehog.

Shadow Android wound his way through the base until he reached the core where the Chaos Emerald was. He easily waved away the guards, and stepped inside. He quickly scanned the area, and when he was sure no one was around, he darted forward, grabbed the gem, and Chaos Controlled away.

_Is self-satisfaction better than duty?_


	30. PiT 025: Sanction's Demise

**PiT 025: Sanction's Demise**

_Dark, Dark, Normal, Hero, Hero, Dark_

The Keeper was more deadly than Black Doom, or so they said. Shadow didn't really care about that. All he cared about was getting it far away from his home. However, the President- as well as the GUN Commander- had ordered him to stay away from the creature until they were sure they needed his help. Rouge tried to get them to let him just take care of it, but they denied her every time.

"I'm so sorry, Shadow," the bat would always say after another failed attempt to parley with the bureaucracy, "but they just won't budge."

"So I've noticed," Shadow replied once. "What's the body count now?"

Rouge sighed, "Over 200,000 soldiers killed, and over one million civilians all over the world have died."

"And they still won't let me go in and take care of this?"

"The GUN Commander doesn't think you can do it, and the President is so blind to the suffering that he just does what the Commander says."

"And what's that?"

"Send in more troops, I'm sure we'll breach their defenses soon."

A smirk came across Shadow's face. "And how many times has he said that?" he asked cynically.

Rouge ignored the sarcasm and replied truthfully, "Enough times for 'soon' to have passed as many times as he's said it."

"I thought so."

Rouge made as if to say something, then stopped herself. Shadow caught the movement with his eyes.

"What?" he asked.

"I say just go for it. Maybe even grab Sonic and his friends."

"Do you plan on coming with?"

"Of course. Did you think you would lose me _that_ easily?" Rouge mock scowled at Shadow.

"Let's go then," he said, warping Rouge and himself to Mystic Ruins where he knew Tails lived.

_Are those in charge always right?_


	31. Author’s Notes 5

**Author's Notes 5**

Well, I'm back guys, and got all five of these PiT's done in one day, too! Maybe I'll get the next five done today as well. Sorry I've taken so long, but I've been completely sidetracked with the _A Thief's Dream _NiGHTS fic- along with a few other fics as well-, as well as school, WoW (during the summer), and vacation to Washington, D.C. However, this year I've got block scheduling with an hour and a half of study hall every other day, so I'll probably be able to bring these stories out of hiatus.

_Notes for PiT 021: Disciple From the Darkness_

As I've said, I've been working on a NiGHTS fic lately. At the beginning of the summer, I got JoD, and have been playing quite a bit of that. Also, I sorta kinda like Reala, and so if anyone has noticed, Shadow acts a lot like Reala does when dealing with 'The Master'. _No_, this is _not_ going to have NiGHTS in it, but I thought this would be pretty fun.

_Notes for PiT 022: Beloved Clone_

Two things kinda wormed their way into this. The first being from _Dragon Outcast_ by E. E. Knight, where the Dragonblade is just about to kill RuGaard (or, the Copper) is supposed to be just like how Shadow's down in the dirt and about to be killed off. The second is the idea of a tracking device sending out a homing signal when destroyed, which comes from the necklace tracker that Tally had in _Uglies_ by Scott Westerfeld.

_Notes for PiT 023: Revenge Upon the Doctor_

More stuff referring to the fight between RuGaard and the Dragonblade. This one was the line where Eggman asks for mercy, but Shadow just kills him and replies with the line "Not for the likes of you", which is practically what the Dragonblade said in reply to RuGaard's plea for mercy.

_Notes for PiT 024: The Ultimate Replica_

Wow. For this one, I was just writing so I could get a storyline going. However, this has nothing to do with the Shadow Android from PiT 019.

_Notes for PiT 025: Sanction's Demise_

Not much here, other than a small political comment on how stupid people in power can be. Political views are mine alone, and do not reflect the thoughts and minds of my country, or where ever this fic is posted (because it's posted in a few places). If you don't agree, then good for you.

Damn. At the rate I've been going over the past few months, I'll probably never get this entire thing done. Hopefully, though, I'll have the same vigor I've had today and get through this a little more quickly. But other than that, _holy crap, I've gotten to twenty-five! I'm one-thirteenth (approximately) of the way through!_


	32. PiT 026: Along with My Home

**PiT 026: Along with My Home**

_Dark, Dark, Normal, Hero, Hero, Hero_

Destruction was all that met the eyes of Shadow the Hedgehog. Houses of the village he had settled down in were either charred corpses, or smoldering into a burnt demise. He had been out hunting for a while, and had just returned with enough food to feed the entire group of about fifteen people.

The onyx colored hedgehog dropped the game he had been carrying, and dashed into the small cluster of buildings, his air shoes propelling him on. The buildings were deserted, and the small square in the middle of the tiny town was void of life. He sat down on the broken stone well, and stared in front of him in shock.

"Shadow?" a small, female voice timidly asked from behind. Shadow turned his head to see a young otter creeping up to him, her usually green dress stained red.

"What happened here? What happened to you?" he asked frantically as he dropped to one knee so he could be face-to-face with the frightened girl.

"People came. I'm not sure who, but they raided the village."

"Why are you all red? I don't see any cuts."

"Mom hid me in a wine barrel. It wasn't completely empty," the otter pup looked around. "Where is everybody?" she asked. Shadow just shook his head, small tears in his eyes.

After a while, he stood, took the otter girl by the hand and left the village.

"Where are we going, Shadow?" she asked.

"To find a new home, Maddy. A new place to belong."

_Would you rather seek revenge, or peace?_


	33. PiT 027: The Cleansing of Darkness

**PiT 027: The Cleansing of Darkness**

_Dark, Dark, Hero, Dark, Dark, Dark_

"Another one gone," Shadow said softly, his ruby eyes looking calmly at the young boy he had felled. A group of women and children huddled in fear a short distance away from him, their eyes darting like scared horses over the bodies of their family members.

The onyx colored hedgehog had been picking them off one by one, just for the hell of it. Chaos Blast would probably have been easier, but where was the fun in that? He liked the whimpers of terror and the cries of the babes before the gunshot sounded. Only one thing was more fun than point blank though-

"I've decided to give you remaining people some sport. Follow me, and you live as my servants. Don't, and you'll still get to live, but for about five minutes while I give you a head start. After that, who knows how long you've got."

"We'll never follow you," an elderly woman spat. Shadow's ruby eyes lazily picked out the speaker and he held her gaze for a while. Then he burst out laughing.

"You'll be the first to go," he said when he had regained his composure. "Five minutes starting now," he snapped his fingers, "I suggest if you're going to run, you go as fast as you can." All of them stayed.

"What? Must I close my eyes as well? Fine then, I'll count to ten for all who want to dash off." Shadow then walked over to a building's outer wall, laid his forearms on it, and buried his face in the black-and-red fur. "One!" he called out.

A rustle of leaves sounded beside him.

"Two!"

A struggle of noise, and a crying sob.

"Three!"

A hissed whisper and another rustle.

"Four!"

A screamed response.

"Five!"

Shifting leaves.

"Six!"

Quiet sobs.

"Seven!"

Wind blowing through the nearby trees of the forest.

"Eight!"

Far off footfalls.

"Nine!"

Wing beats.

"Ten!" he roared challengingly, and looked over towards the corner. A girl of about eight still sat there, huddled over the body of the young boy he had killed.

Shadow walked over to the girl and stared menacingly down at her. "Why have you stayed?" he boomed.

The girl just looked up in terror.

"_WHY?_" he roared, and she jarred in fright.

"Y-you killed my brother…" she replied timidly.

"Do you want me to do the same to you?" Shadow asked.

"Yes," she said, eyes filled with a calm sort of fear. The look surprised the hedgehog.

After a moment, he reached his hand down and lifted her roughly to her feet. "Too bad, girl. I said whoever wanted to live should stay. You are my servant now."

"No!" she screamed, reaching for the gun he held. Shadow easily held it out of her reach.

"Be glad. I'm usually not so merciful. Where did the others go?" he asked. The girl merely sat in defiance and held her silence while she glared at him. He bent, hauled her up, and glared right back at her. "All right then, girl, what's your name?" More silence from her mouth as her hunting boots shifted the leaves near her bother's corpse. "Fine then. Since you refuse to speak, I'll call you Takkeet." He dragged her into a nearby building- a smith's- and put a collar around her neck while he took the other end of the chain in his hand.

"I'm your master now. Master Shadow," he said, dragging her into the forest while he killed every last one of those who had fled, and, true to his word, he killed the old woman first.

_Will you live as a slave, or die as a free soul?_


	34. PiT 028: Birth of a God

**PiT 028: Birth of a God**

_Dark, Dark, Hero, Dark, Dark, Hero_

He had been rejected. And stolen from. The golden rings that capped the black hedgehog's power off had been taken and destroyed, or hidden, or maybe even thrown into the cold vacuum of space- he couldn't say which. All Shadow really knew was that they were gone. And because he was so powerful, he had been warded off like some wild beast.

Without his restraints, he could easily warp from Colony ARK to Earth without the aid of a Chaos Emerald: Just think of what he could do with one of the magic gems!

All of his power was finally his to control. Shadow began to wonder just why he hadn't removed the accursed things in the first place- this kind of power was invigorating.

The onyx hedgehog felt invincible, unrestrained, even free. He tried his hands at flight, and found that if he shifted his energy just right, he could keep himself aloft better than any bird.

Shadow would show them that he was no beast. He was a creature beyond humans _and _beasts- he was ultimate- he was a god!

_With power comes responsibility, but what if you just don't care?_


	35. PiT 029: The Last Soldier's Grim Fate

**PiT 029: The Last Soldier's Grim Fate**

_Dark, Dark, Hero, Dark, Normal, Dark_

He was part of an army once. A grand army, helping to fight for good against whatever evils may have come. That time had ended once they had all been eradicated by a deadly disease as a part of biological warfare. Shadow was immune to all of the disease's effects because of his chemical makeup- being the Ultimate life-form had its perks- and was left alone on a desolate planet. Sure, a few other people had survived the fighting- Sonic and some of his friends as well as a few civilians, but no humans. Those left fought each other for territory, turned savage because of the disease.

Species from other planets had come and gone, enjoying the hospitality of the onyx hedgehog and making fun of the remaining species. They would all ask him for the story of the mighty planet Earth, and when he told them that all the 'intelligent' life had fallen to a very common disease, they would make even more vicious jests about the planet.

But whenever Shadow went down to the planet, he found that those that still lived would have reproduced, and that they all revered him.

And they were still intelligent enough to speak to him in ways he understood. Each would try to make him stay with them so that they had his protection and guidance, but he declined them all, and acted as a mediator between all of them.

He had become something between a mercenary and a god, taking care of the entire planet, helping people for food, trinkets, or hospitality.

_Who needs a side when you have your self?_


	36. PiT 030: Isolation and Solitude

**PiT 030: Isolation and Solitude**

_Dark, Dark, Hero, Dark, Normal, Hero_

The edge of the forest was abrupt on one end, and gradual on the other. A clearing with a small town perverted the abrupt-ending side, while a river cleansed the other.

Shadow had no real living place: He just stopped to rest where ever, with only a handful of favorite spots.

One morning as the onyx colored hedgehog washed away the mud and small amounts of blood that caked his fur hard to his body after a particularly nasty fall out of a tree, he heard voices approaching.

He ducked his head under the water so that only his eyes and the top of head showed and concealed his form behind some jutting rocks.

An older gentleman with two young boys walked up to the side of the river, fishing tackle in hand. As they set up, Shadow quietly made his way around to the bank where they were- the side where the forest was thicker.

One of the boys looked up and pointed at him. "Hey grandpa, what's that?"

Shadow didn't give the old man a chance to look as he surged up out of the water and darted into the dawn-hued woods.

_How far are you really when you're inches close?_


	37. Author’s Notes 6

**Author's Notes 6**

Ha! I did it! Ten in one day! And, that's with a whole bunch of distractions, too! It's time for bed soon, and I seriously need a bath, but I did it! And I got to number thirty, too. That's a fun accomplishment. Anyway, I digress, for anyone who actually reads these, here's my notes.

_Notes for PiT 026: Along with My Home_

I was mostly inspired by the _Redwall _cartoon where Matthias' family gets killed and his town ransacked. That was only in the animated series though. Another reference was from _Dragon Champion _by E. E. Knight, where Maddy was hidden in a wine barrel, just like Hibea.

_Notes for PiT 027: The Cleansing of Darkness_

This is what happens when we let me listen to Megadeth's _Countdown to Extinction _too much. Takkeet's age is a personal reference to one of the symbols I draw when mad (the Infinity sign), and the girl's name is a reference to the Latin word for 'quiet'- tacit (Note that in old Latin pronunciations, c's are always hard, and i's are always pronounced like a long 'e'. That's why her name is Takkeet- it sounds like tacit with the old Latin pronunciation.)

_Notes for PiT 028: Birth of a God_

Another fun case where I was just starting up a story.

_Notes for PiT 029: The Last Soldier's Grim Fate_

Funny enough, I was thinking of _Ben Ten_ when I starting to talk about aliens, but none of that actually got incorporated into the story. Just as well, I suppose- I mean, do we really need Shadow fighting Vilgax?

_Notes for PiT 030: Isolation and Solitude_

This was really inspired by a place I went on vacation this summer, someplace in Mammoth Caves National Park in Kentucky. Don't ask me why- I'm not really sure…


	38. PiT 031: Archimedes and the Tortoise

**PiT 031: Archimedes and the Tortoise**

_Dark, Dark, Hero, Dark, Hero, Dark_

Shadow had disrupted a lot of people. He hadn't meant to, in fact, he wasn't even sure why the 'Army of Shades', as it was called by the local people was after him.

All he knew was that he fell from the sky, and the crater that he had left had killed some of the grazing flock of sheep.

The day he came, he was heralded as a god, and a sign of good fortune.

When the Army of Shades came, however, he was an omen of misfortune. An oracle that was highly respected in the village said that Shadow should be sacrificed, and released from his mortal coil.

Everything went downhill from there.

In the middle of the night, the Army of Shades would attack the village, and demand they give Shadow up, and when they would go to his temple, he wouldn't be there, but always the next morning he would come out of the east, morning sunlight glistening off his dew-covered fur.

One night, they had a young boy by the name of Piers follow Shadow to where ever the black hedgehog went at night. The boy crept along stealthily, glad for the bright moonlight that illuminated the dark hedgehog's fur.

Shadow came to the edge of the giant crater that had been made by his impact. He plucked a shining, while flower from the edge and tossed it into the crater, whispering so that only he could hear, "For Maria, whomever she may be."

The name of the girl haunted his brain, but he didn't know her. Only her cyan eyes.

Shadow turned and headed back into the forest that surrounded the village. Piers followed a fair distance behind, puzzled by what the hedgehog had done.

When the morning came, Piers made sure he was in bed by the time Shadow arrived. When nighttime rolled around again, and Shadow headed to the crater, the Army of Shades lay in wait for him.

The onyx colored hedgehog was quickly captured and put in a state of suspended animation, and Piers was heralded as a king for the rest of his days.

_Can gods be triumphed by other gods?_


	39. PiT 032: Where is My Happiness?

**PiT 032: Where is My Happiness?**

_Dark, Dark, Hero, Dark, Hero, Hero_

Truth was all Shadow wanted. He had searched so long that being left in the dark was threatening to shove him over the brink into insanity.

Why am I here? Why do I have this power? What was Gerald thinking when he created me? Why does the world hate me? What have I done wrong? How do I fix this? And other such unanswered question.

All of this doubled with the fact that the government wanted him- alive, luckily- for reasons unknown to the puzzled hedgehog.

He was going to find answers to his questions- _all_ his questions- and finding out why the government wanted him so badly was priority number one.

Shadow figured that once he got one answer, the rest would respectively start falling into place, and then-

What then? The biggest question. Once Shadow had the truths he so badly wanted, in which direction would he turn his life then? He guessed that he would just find the answer along with all the rest.

_What good is asking questions if you don't even try to find the answers?_


	40. PiT 033: Seduced by Taste of Blood

**PiT 033: Seduced by Taste of Blood**

_Dark, Dark, Hero, Normal, Dark, Dark_

The bats were very hospitable. Even after the disease had turned Rouge and her kin feral, she still had the feminine charm she was so famous for, and had also retained her lust for shiny objects.

One day, the hunter bats that were under Rouge's leadership had returned from both a successful hunt and a fruitful raid of a nearby fox settlement. Rouge had invited Shadow to come and join them by sending a Chao- one of the only creature unaffected as a whole by the disease- with her message.

Shadow arrived, his fur washed, and wearing several gifts he had received from his gracious hosts in the past.

Rouge came down from her high cave and bowed deeply to Shadow, her unkempt hair falling past her shoulders. When she lifted her head, she ushered Shadow towards the middle of the village where a bonfire roared triumphantly.

Rouge sat Shadow down on a pelt next to her own, and called one of the serving bats over. She pulled off some of the relatively uncooked meat and handed a piece to Shadow. The bat tore into her food- considerably good manners among her kind- with Shadow following suit.

All of the bats besides Rouge joined in the celebration with joyous dances, songs, and dizzying flights around the bonfire. Shadow was calm and silent beside her4, his godly presence all that was required of him.

Once the festivities died down, Rouge filled her duties by praising the gods their aid, all the while the bats looking between her and Shadow with lights in their eyes. Rouge then retired to her high cave, Shadow following at her request.

Rouge placed multiple pelts on the cave floor, offering Shadow a seat.

"What do you want, Rouge?" the black hedgehog asked as he sat in a cross-legged fashion.

In response, the bat plopped down in his lap and started nuzzling against his chest and neck, like a cat rubs it's whiskers against various objects.

"What the-?" Shadow asked as Rouge started to press her front half into his body. He tried to push her off of him, but she clung to him, making escape by Chaos Control impossible.

After a short struggle, Shadow managed to kick Rouge forcibly off of himself.

"No!" she cried, lunging and hugging him around the legs like a child does their mother when they want her to linger.

"Why not?" Shadow growled, trying to tug his legs free of the bat.

Rouge looked up to face him, and he realized she was crying. "Don't want you to go," she cried, with somewhat of an edge in her broken voice. Shadow blinked in surprise. No one had ever wanted him to leave before, but none of them had physically detained him- they were all too scared.

Shadow thought for a moment. It would jeopardize his position as a mediator to have them think he had sided with the bats. But the look on Rouge's face…

He submitted, and gave the feral bat the kind of comfort a father would his daughter, then warped away, hoping that none of the others ever found out he had given compassion to another.

_When the civil are turned feral, why do the good have to hide?_


	41. PiT 034: A Machine Made for War

**PiT 034: A Machine Made for War**

_Dark, Dark, Hero, Normal, Dark, Hero_

His birth was supposed to mean change. The Shadow Android was supposed to be an end-all ultimate of the Doctor's previous attempts to created a robot in the form of the Ultimate life that his grandfather had created. He was swifter than the wind, able to fly higher than any bird, had a deadly arsenal of weapons built into his body, was able to handle any armament that came his way, and was able to utilize Chaos Control with ease- using a shard of the 'fake' Emerald that Tails had made. The Doctor was unwilling to admit it, but that little fox kid was brilliant.

Shadow Android stayed by the Doctor's side, Ivo's cold-eyed guardian. He was not like the other grunts that had to go out and fight Sonic or his friends, but he had a difficult job none the less. The Doctor was a very demanding person, and threatened all that disobeyed with the scrap heap. Except for the Ultimate Shadow Android, as he was called. The others had nicknamed him "Beta", and he simply went by that.

"Beta," the Doctor called for him one day.

"Yes, Doctor?" the Shadow Android asked.

"I'm having a bit of a predicament. It seems Sonic is on the move to one of my bases. I don't know which unit to send in," Ivo turned his head to better see his creation, "Who do you think I should send in?"

Beta thought for a moment, then replied, "Which base, sir?"

"This one."

"I can take on the Blue One, sir," Beta replied. Robotnik physically recoiled.

"I don't know if you should. I'd like to keep you for a while longer, Beta, and Sonic has a history of destroying my robots."

"But I'm better than the rest, sir. I know I can at least wound him."

"Hmmm," the Doctor stroked his mustache thoughtfully.

"And, if not, I'll call in backup."

Ivo thought for a moment longer, then turned to Beta and said, "All right. Go. But make sure you have a full unit with you."

"I'll take two," Beta said as he warped off to make preparations for Sonic's arrival.

_Does 'ultimate' have to be organic, or can it be something more?_


	42. PiT 035: Original Definition

**PiT 035: Original Definition**

_Dark, Dark, Hero, Normal, Normal, Dark_

"What have I become?" Shadow quietly asked himself as he sat on the edge of a tall cliff, the valley filled with waterfalls spread out below him.

Truth was elusive. And deadly. Shadow knew he couldn't simply walk into the government's arms- they wouldn't even _try_ to hear him out.

He had to do something more subtle; obscure what he was, what his plans were.

Use lies to find the truth he desperately needed.

Getting back to the darkness of not knowing- letting other know how he had felt for so long in his truth less searches.

Give them a taste of his world.

But he had to remove himself from the situation- if only emotionally. The blind, emotional wreck that was Shadow the Hedgehog was being buried mentally, hidden behind the persona of the creature named Numbrax- a cold-hearted creature, logical in mind and manner: a deadly calm.

_When the heart finally breaks, what happens to the pieces?_


	43. Author’s Notes 7

**Author's Notes 7**

Cool, I made it to thirty-five. Hopefully, only one more block on the long road to all three-hundred-twenty-six potential chappies. Funny, though. Each one takes about twenty minutes or so to write, depending on length, which story the chapter goes with, if I've got _any _inspiration, and also whether or not I've got a computer.

_Notes for PiT 031__: Archimedes and the Tortoise_

Wow. I was in a very _Golden Sun 2_ mindset when I wrote this, what with the whole Shadow falling from the heavens like Sheba, and being followed by a person named Piers (my personal favorite GS2 character). And, oh, surprise! I had no idea how this PiT was gonna end. Originally, Shadow was gonna escape at the expense of the villagers- the Piers came into play, and Shadow's fate was sealed. The characters writing their own story- go figure!

_Notes for PiT 032: Where is My Happiness?_

Nothing much for this one. Just thinking of a picture I did a while back- it had loads of different-looking question marks littered all over it, with a giant one in the middle; the various question words around the edge of the paper as a border; and at the top, the words "JUST ASK" in big, bold, capitol case letters.

_Notes for PiT 033: Seduced by Taste of Blood_

I'm kinda glad where this one ended up. At first, I was kinda going for a very _Gunslinger_-esque chappie (just fyi- _Gunslinger_ is by Stephen King, and if you've ever read it, you know where this could have easily gone…) but then I realized that this was _supposed_ to be rated T. Also, I didn't want to scar my anti-Shadouge friend for life… and so this is where it ended up. Hope you liked it.

_Notes for PiT 034: A Machine Made for War_

Really, the only reference here was to one of the original E-series, Gamma's big brother Beta. Willing to fight to the end, and extremely loyal, Beta was the perfect name. Also, Beta testing- get it, get it? Huh, huh?! Yeah, I know, I'm not _that _clever.

_Notes for PiT 035: Original Definition_

Unlike the previous number of stories, loads of experience and thought went into this one, but it's so short, I feel like I didn't do any of it justice. First and foremost, the valley is supposed to be a ref to Yosemite National Park in California, USA. Secondly, when he goes all logical and heartless, I was thinking of _The Blue Djinn of Babylon_ by whoever that author is (Dammit, I needs to look that up. It was a really good book…). And lastly, Numbrax is a combination of letters from Nox Umbra- Night Ghost.

I'm surprised I've gotten this far. I really don't get to work on this all that often, and I'm trying so hard to get _A Thief's Dream _finished, because that story means a lot to me, too. (I demand you go read it. Although it's not Sonic, it portrays some ideas that I'm not to sure I'll get to show here. Even if you don't like NiGHTS, just read the first half- all the way up through chappie eight. Then ignore the rest. It cuts off pretty well, and all of the stuff before chapter nine could be its own story.) But, other than shameless ads for my other stories, I'm kinda glad I'm writing this. It's giving me ideas to play around with, and take with me into school, especially Writer's Workshop class.

Anyway, I digress- keep reading, writing, and thinking!


	44. PiT 036: Machine Paradise

**PiT 036: Machine Paradise**

_Dark, Dark, Hero, Normal, Normal, Hero_

Chao were fascinating little creatures. King Shadow had been talking with Cream about creating a garden for them somewhere amidst his robots.

"I think the Chao would have a nice time here," Cream said as she and Shadow hovered high above a wide lake in the middle of a dense forest. "What do you think, Cheese?" The tan colored Chao thought for a second, then stopped flapping his relatively large, golden wings, Cheese plummeted into the lake below, making an impossibly large splash for a creature so small.

After a minute, Cheese's head emerged from the water, and he swam easily ashore. Cream landed beside him as the Chao shook the water out of his feathers.

"Well?" Shadow asked, landing beside Cream and Cheese, "Is this place to your liking?"

Cheese finished getting the water out of his wings, and fluttered so that he was face height with the Android King.

"Chao chao!" Cheese cried happily, nodding his little head vigorously.

"Then let's get this place ready for you and your kin immediately," King Shadow replied, taking off to get some of his robots to guard the place meant for the little creatures.

_Why does the cat always have to turn a circle before it lies down?_


	45. PiT 037: Last Will and Testament

**PiT 037: Last Will and Testament**

_Dark, Dark, Hero, Normal, Hero, Dark_

"Do you have any defense for these actions, Shadow?" the President demanded over Rouge's cell phone.

"Yes, actually, I do," Shadow replied calmly, "You've been doing nothing but sending men in to die against a force they can't possibly hope to stop."

"The Commander's told me-"

"Nothing but lies," Shadow cut in harshly, "I don't know if you've seen it, but the Keeper's been wiping out your men left and right, while we have yet to even make the smallest of dents in his numbers. Let me try: I _know_ I can do something."

"But you should be our last resort, Shadow. We can't afford to loose you." The President's voice was desperate.

"You didn't loose me last night when I destroyed that base."

"You got lucky."

"Luck had nothing to do with it."

"You're not as good as you think, Shadow. They're bound to kill you."

"Then have Sonic and his friends take up the banner when I fall. Or, you could always try mass suicide, you hopeless coward," Shadow replied bitterly, clicking the bat's cell shut.

"He didn't deserve that last part, Shadow," Rouge said, "This incident has got to be hard on him mentally, no matter how foolishly he's handling it."

"Probably not as hard on him as it has been on his men," Shadow shot back, walking calmly away.

_Should you count on one, or all?_


	46. PiT 038: Enveloped in Solitude

**PiT 038: Enveloped in Solitude**

_Dark, Dark, Hero, Normal, Hero, Hero_

Shadow was trying his hand at meditation. Sitting in an awkward, cross-legged position, Shadow closed his eyes as he placed his hands in his lap.

The black hedgehog had chosen a large rock on the edge of the pond that rested in the southeast area of his forest. The area as surprisingly void of human life, but then again, what human was stupid enough to go fishing on a cloudy night in the middle of a practically nowhere?

All around him, Shadow noticed a wide array of noises that he hadn't realized before. It wasn't like Shadow had never _heard_ the subtle noises, it was just that they had never registered in his brain.

And he felt- no, _sensed_- creatures around him. All of his senses, sight excluded, worked together, giving him a sixth sense- one might call it fearlessness, or maybe even knowledge, Shadow wasn't sure- that made up for his self-imposed blindness.

Approaching footsteps sounded, and Shadow quickly retreated to the thick of the forest.

_Are the sightless truly blind?_


	47. PiT 039: Parricidal Savior

**PiT 039: Parricidal Savior**

_Dark, Dark, Hero, Hero, Dark, Dark_

He had a despicable reputation out in the universe. Shadow was infamous for having killed his blood-father, Black Doom. For that simple reason, not many people came to Earth. After the disease had practically destroyed life on the planet, however, some had thought Shadow dead, and ventured to return.

Most were surprised, and very disturbed, to see the onyx hedgehog still alive and deadly as ever. They all acted courtly, and tried to figure out some weakness to bring the kin-slayer to justice. His home, and those left on Earth, was their answer. A grand army came in full force, headed by one of the surviving members of the Black Arms, by the name of Marchak.

Shadow would not yield: In fact, this invasion infuriated him. He called those left on Earth together, demanding that they forget their worthless differences, and crushed the threat after a long power struggle.

Shadow was hailed as a hero on Earth, and feared by the rest of the universe. To his people, he still gave guidance, wisdom, and judgment, and to the skeptical universe, he asked to merely be left alone.

_When are you good, and when are you bad?_


	48. PiT 040: Copy of a Savior

**PiT 040: Copy of a Savior**

_Dark, Dark, Hero, Hero, Dark, Hero_

"Wow," Tails said as he walked carefully to restore Shadow Android's faculties, "You're really well-built. Eggman must've had special plans for you."

"Whatever they may have been, Eggman must not have been wise enough to _not_ outfit me with a roaming mind or free will," Shadow Android, his now-working head lifting of the table to inspect the fox working on his arm.

After a few silent minutes of the synthetic being inspecting him, Tails asked, "Why does he hate us so much?"

"Because he tries to do things you find objectionable, and so you work hard to stop him," the Android replied simply. Tails sighed.

"No," the fox said, "that's not the question I meant to asked."

"You're free to ask as many as you want, Tails. I'm in your debt."

"Just… why is he…" Tails' voice trailed off for a second while he struggled for the words he needed. He won that struggle. "Why is he evil, Shadow?"

The question caught Shadow Android off-guard. He blinked in surprise, and thought about the question.

"I'm not sure, Tails."

"You'd think he'd tell you," Tails said, then added, "Okay, try moving it."

Shadow flexed his arm, all of the fingers responding to his mental commands.

"It works," Shadow Android said as Tails started to repair his legs and air shoes. His mind then went straight back to the conversation, "I'm not sure Eggman even knows why he does what he does."

"Maybe he's just trying for attention?" Tails asked. Shadow Android shrugged.

"I don't think that's it, Tails. Somehow, I think he's trying to live in the shadow of Gerald. And it's not working," Shadow Android sighed, "I think that's why he created me and the other Androids- to compensate for his lack of personal vision and ability."

Tails thought for a while as he worked. He finished fixing the left leg and was most the way through fixing the right one when he spoke on the subject again.

"I'm not so sure he lacks the ability, Shadow. I'm not sure what he does or doesn't lack. I'm not even sure why he tries to take over the world." Tails stopped talking while he finished up the right leg and had Shadow test it. The leg didn't quite work, so Tails immersed himself once more in his task, saying, "All I know is that Eggman is trying to gain a kind of power that I don't think he deserves, or maybe I don't think he knows how to handle that kind of power. Either way, he's doing something I don't think I like- or maybe it's something Sonic doesn't like, and I'm just along for the ride, like Knuckles and Amy- and he needs to be stopped."

Shadow Android tested his leg again, and stood, all of his functions returned.

"Thank you, Tails. You've given me quite a lot to think about."

_When the master tries to be something he's not, does he suffer the consequences, or does his subordinates? _


	49. Author’s Notes 8

**Author's Notes 8**

Sorry I've not been able to get my five-a-week done last week- I had no seminar classes. That, and absolutely no free time, whatsoever. And _A Thief's Dream_. That's been pretty big. And it's starting to come to its climax, so I'm starting to get a little wrapped up in it. But I'll try'n keep my mind in the _BoS_ as well. Anyhoo, here's the notes- enjoy.

_Notes for PiT 036: Machine Paradise_

Really, I just wanted Cream in one of these stories. I kinda like Cream, and so I found the opportunity to put her in the _BoS_.

_Notes for PiT 037: Last Will and Testament_

Okay, I admit it- I play Magic the Gathering (TM'd to Wizards of the Coast- plz don't kill me!). I'm a friggin' nerd, and when I wrote this PiT, I was thinking about building a good deck.

_Notes for PiT 038: Enveloped in Solitude_

I've been reading a book on Buddhism lately, and thought it'd be interesting to have Shadow meditating. It's very bastardized- I won't lie.

_Notes for PiT 039: Parricidal Savior_

I'm not really positive what I was going for here, just making commentaries on how vague the definitions of 'good' and 'bad' are.

_Notes for PiT 040: Copy of a Savior_

Just a small bit of commentary as to why 'bad' guys do what they do, and why 'good' and 'bad' people can't stand each other.

Meh. Forty. No major milestone here.


	50. PiT 041: Excess of Intellect

**PiT 041: Excess of Intellect**

_Dark, Dark, Hero, Hero, Normal, Dark_

Numbrax was all over the media. He didn't care though, the more people knew what he was doing, the easier it was going to be to get the truth Shadow needed so badly.

Of course, everyone thought he _was_ Shadow, but that was far from the truth. Shadow had emotions, and was almost constantly ruled by them. Numbrax, however, didn't, and in fact, was all the smarter for it. He could see clearly why the government was keeping things from him, why they wanted him kept in the dark. They were run by pure fear of what the dark hedgehog could do, and didn't want him to have all that knowledge.

It was like a snowball effect: the less they wanted Numbrax to know, the more he searched, and the more he learned. Shadow didn't necessarily want to kill people in his search for truth, he just wanted the answers. Numbrax knew better. He knew that if you want the truth, you have to be willing to blow people away for it.

Shadow had wanted Numbrax to stop, but Numbrax didn't listen. The desperate hedgehog didn't realize what he had done until he had no say.

Numbrax would only leave once the truth was obtained- but that would be impossible.

_Is knowledge gained worth the purity lost?_


	51. PiT 042: Crystallization of Intellect

**PiT 042: Crystallization of Intellect**

_Dark, Dark, Hero, Hero, Normal, Hero_

They didn't call Professor Gerald Robotnik a genius for no good reason. He was brilliant, charismatic, involved, surprisingly quick in his step, and extremely kind in manner. All the scientists aboard the ARK enjoyed working with him, and they didn't mind the fact that his granddaughter was with them, either, as her manners were perfect, and she seemed to have inherited her grandfather's compassion.

When Shadow was created, Gerald made sure the hedgehog had the same kindness to him, and made sure Shadow would keep Maria safe. The Professor had heard whisperings around the ARK about GUN being angry at them, but made no moves as to the fact that he knew this. He had faith in the decency in mankind, and only took minor precautions against an attack.

Gerald did not, however, have faith in Black Doom, and fortified Shadow with all he would need to take the alien down: a good conscious, strong body, and the Eclipse Cannon, to destroy the Black Comet.

Though no one else on the ARK realized it- Gerald had a clear, strong plan for Shadow, and hoped he would be there to see its fruition.

_Since you never know the future, shouldn't you be prepared for everything?_


	52. PiT 043: The Ultimate Confrontation

**PiT 043: The Ultimate Confrontation**

_Dark, Dark, Hero, Hero, Hero, Dark_

Betting was something Shadow never thought he would take part in. Yet there he was, stuck between a rock and a hard place- Rouge and Amy. The two ladies had gotten into a quarrel one day over who was better- Sonic or himself. To settle the bet, both had threatened the two hedgehogs into the arena.

The day before the fight, Sonic showed up in Station Square where Shadow had been staying.

"Hey, Shadow," the blue hedgehog said, coming in.

"This is unexpected. Why are you here, Sonic?" Shadow asked, genuinely confused.

"Well, I just came to wish you luck tomorrow. I know you got suckered into this, like I did. I don't know what Amy thinks she's going to prove by making bets about what other people can do. Sure, I've saved the world my fare share of times, but I've never really gotten that cocky about it- have I?"

"Of course not," Shadow replied, grinning devilishly, "I'm just doing this because Rouge asked. I wouldn't want to have to come against you unless you really deserved it."

"Oh, thanks," Sonic replied sarcastically, "I'm really touched by your compassion."

Shadow chuckled. "Well," the black hedgehog said, "I welcome the sentiment. May the best of us win."

"So, me then," Sonic said with his trademark smirk. Shadow lifted an eyebrow.

"And you come from which reality again?"

"The one where you don't go on long speeches about how you're the 'Ultimate Life' and all that other crap."

"Ignoring the insult," Shadow said, rising from his seat and motioning Sonic towards the door, "You'll probably want to go rest up so I don't kick your ass as badly."

"Heh, you're on," Sonic said as he made his exit.

_Is it the fight or foreplay that really matters most?_


	53. PiT 044: Miracle of Love

**PiT 044: Miracle of Love**

_Dark, Dark, Hero, Hero, Hero, Hero_

When Maria was born, Shadow was unsure what to think. He hadn't quite expected a daughter, but he tried not to let his tiny amount of disappointment show.

As the girl grew older, though, her relentless spirit and quirky manner destroyed Shadow's doubts, and he tried to be as good a father as he could.

Maria had inherited Shadow's physical prowess, easily beating all the boys at school in footraces and other such contests at recess. She was smart too: a fast reader; great with computers; phenomenal in science and math. The girl had an artistic flair and could weave words like silk.

Unfortunately, the girl's gifts attracted the attention of Eggman.

The night he sent his robots, both Shadow and Lilith were fast asleep, unaware of the Doctor's stealthy kidnapping.

The lamentations of Lilith in the morning woke Shadow, who was off in a heartbeat to find his daughter whom he loved with all his strength.

_Do you love things all the more when you have them, or when you loose them?_


	54. PiT 045: The World's Demise

**PiT 045: The World's Demise**

_Dark, Hero, Dark, Dark, Dark, Dark_

Shadow walked calmly down the corridors of the ARK. On either side of him walked armed figures, soldiers of the Keeper. He had been caught trying to infiltrate one of their bases, but the Keeper was more curious about the black hedgehog than angry at him, and had ordered that Shadow be brought to their stronghold aboard the ARK.

Though the onyx hedgehog tried not to show it, his stomach was churning angrily at what the invaders had done to his home. The corridors had been stripped of all of the original equipment, and the hallways were dim and barren instead of bright and alive. His eyes glimmered with malice when he saw what they had done to Maria's old room, and flickered slightly when he saw his own ransacked quarters.

Shadow kept all of his anger to himself, however, letting it quietly stew in his calculating mind. He knew the ARK like the back of his hand, and wasn't scared about being lost if he tried to make a run for it. The black hedgehog hid his confidence well, keeping his face blank, in case any of the guards noticed and tried to do anything about him.

Shadow's patience was rewarded when they arrived at the control room of the ARK, and as the door slid open, the guards ushered him inside to get his first look at the Keeper.

_When your home is taken from you, doesn't your entire world fall into the black hole it leaves?_


	55. Author’s Notes 9

**Author's Notes 9**

Sorry I've been so busy lately, but first quarter's up now, and I'm almost done with the story for _Sonic Chronicles_. Also, _A Thief's Dream _is up, -finally- too. I was starting to get tired of _that _thing. Hopefully, I'll be able to pick up the pace soon, but no promises.

_Notes for PiT 041: Excess of Intellect_

I'm still in a very NiGHTS-oriented mindset, and the question at the end is brought on by my philosophy- which I think I mention somewhere in _ATD_, somewhere around chappie thirteen or so- is that when you gain intelligence, you loose purity.

_Notes for PiT 042: Crystallization of Intellect_

No real notes here, just moving a story is all.

_Notes for PiT 043: The Ultimate Confrontation_

I've been to Vagas, so I can say from experience that betting is not cool (at all!). Also, I've been reading the _Iliad,_ and I was kinda making a joke about how much they talk before they fight.

_Notes for PiT 044: Miracle of Love_

Nothing much here, except for the name Lilith being a little shout-out to all the Danny Phantom Phans out there, the name being the name of Sam and Tucker's flour sack in that epi (can't think of it right now, I'll work on that later…).

_Notes for PiT 045: The World's Demise_

Once more, no inspiration here, but there is a small commentary on what happens when people take over.


	56. PiT 046: The Ultimate Power

**PiT 046: The Ultimate Power**

_Dark, Hero, Dark, Dark, Dark, Hero_

Shadow had been told many times throughout his life that he was the 'ultimate life form'. But what did that entail? Was he free to do whatever, or did he have to protect people? Should he even care what others think? If he were 'ultimate', shouldn't he be the one in chare? He knew from experience that he could easily level cities and blow people away like a nuke: Taking control would be an easy task.

But something kept Shadow from even trying such things: the blue hedgehog Sonic. It was not something Sonic had said, but it was the simple fact that he had defeated Shadow in combat that had intrigued the black hedgehog. If he were so 'ultimate', how could such a creature come along and defeat him so easily?

Shadow was going to find out. He wanted to know one of two thing: Either, why had he been lied to, or, if he wasn't the 'ultimate life', what was he?

_Should you believe others when they tell you who you are?_


	57. PiT 047: Dyed in Lovely Darkness

**PiT 047: Dyed in Lovely Darkness...**

_Dark, Hero, Dark, Dark, Normal, Dark_

Shadow stood tall and strong atop the tall clock tower. They onyx hedgehog let his ruby eyes lazily sweep the empty city below.

Though there were no stars, moon, or city lights, the crimson eyes pierced the silky night to see what hid in the dark.

The monstrous bridge that had spanned the behemoth river now lay partially submerged, and was shattered, like the broken spine of some long gone dragon. Lots of the building had crumbled and worn under blast after blast from the destructive hedgehog. All that was left was the clock tower, and that wouldn't last for too much longer.

Shadow stood like a black-winged angel of vengeance until the sky turned gray with predawn, the made his move. Dropping from the top of the tower, he set off several blasts on his way down, destabilizing and destroying the clock tower. Before the onyx-colored hedgehog hit the ground, he used Chaos Control and warped away from the ruined city.

_In the night, do you see what you want, or do the shadows take away your vision?_


	58. PiT 048: Vainglory or Abandonment?

**PiT 048: Vainglory or Abandonment?**

_Dark, Hero, Dark, Dark, Normal, Hero_

Shadow felt like an old, beat-up tug-of-war rope. So many different people were competing for his help, and he didn't want to take sides.

Black Doom had come first, promising glory and revenge. Then the President had sent Rouge as his emissary, appealing to his sense of justice and banking on his friendship with the bat. Sonic came soon after, trying to goad Shadow into fighting alongside him. Hell, even Eggman had pitched in with false promises, even including a seat of power. All four tried valiantly to sway the black hedgehog to their cause, but none of them could find the words to spark his loyalty.

Omega came to him, not with bribes or taunts, but with wisdom.

"Shadow," the red mech said, "Why are you so distraught? None of those people can make you help them; they are only asking."

"But," Shadow replied, "There's so many of them asking- who the hell do I help?"

Omega thought for a moment as his metallic brain toyed with the question.

He turned his glowing, crimson eyes to stare into Shadow's shining, ruby-colored ones.

"Help yourself."

_When everybody asks questions, who gives the answers?_


	59. PiT 049: Messenger of Ruination

**PiT 049: Messenger of Ruination**

_Dark, Hero, Dark, Normal, Dark, Dark_

Shadow's footfalls echoes hollowly as he walked along the deserted street. For some reason, the world had an emerald tinge to it, like forests do. In this green-hued bliss, the black hedgehog barely noticed the quiet whimpering.

When the hedgehog neared a corner, it suddenly stopped, and its absence was what Shadow noticed. He stopped and narrowed his eyes, then dashed forward, grabbing a startled boy by the front of his dirt-smeared shirt. The onyx hedgehog's ruby eyes pierced through the boys terror-filled hazel ones.

Shadow said nothing as he quickly decided what to do with the young straggler. The duo was carried up to a high rooftop that was doused in an oddly jade-colored light. Shadow looked out at the broken city, which was being consumed by a creeping, olive mist. The hedgehog found it slightly unnerving, but ignored it, and threw the boy off the building. The small, fragile frame seemed to be sucked up and destroyed by the green fog.

Shadow warped away from the top of the building, the image of the boy's silent scream burned into his memory.

_Where does the light lead?_


	60. PiT 050: Standing at the Summit

**PiT 050: Standing at the Summit**

__

Dark, Hero, Dark, Normal, Dark, Hero

Shadow walked carefully over Sonic's limp form. The blue hedgehog had tried to stop him from taking the seventh Chaos Emerald, but to no avail. Shadow had been formidable without any of the gems, once his golden restraints had been removed. But quickly, and subtly, he had gained the power-enriched gems. Before the world knew what was going on, it was too late to stop him.

But still Sonic had tried, and he had failed horribly. It was a shame, Shadow had to admit. He had always thought highly of his blue counterpart, and wouldn't have minded giving Sonic some amount of rule in the world he was working towards.

With Sonic's demise, Shadow easily took the final Emerald, and after it, the world.

Rouge, who had always been faithful, even when he had lost the restraints and had been warded off by the world, became his second-in-command. She joined Knuckles in looking after the Master Emerald, and the both of them were blessed by the now-golden hedgehog.

Omega, his other faithful, was allowed full-range on Eggman's robots, as well as the Doctor himself. Once the vengeful mech had had his fill of revenge, he merely settled into a role as Shadow's voice.

No one minded Super Shadow's rule, however. All the hedgehog wanted in return for his protection was their presence. He was welcome every where, and that was all he wanted. Omega helped to make sure the world didn't fall into chaos, Rouge made sure it didn't fall into decay, and Shadow made sure the world didn't fall into subordination.

The golden hedgehog had created a utopia.

__

Is perfection gained worth lives lost?


	61. Author’s Notes 10

**Author's Notes 10**

Now we've hit a fairly monumental milestone. I can't believe I've made it through fifty PiT's, considering the fact that I've been so busy with other stuff that I haven't been working on the BoS. But, hopefully, I'll get to work on this more and more, and have it finished. But for now, here's my long-overdue notes for 46-50.

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Notes for PiT 046: The Ultimate Power

When I wrote this, I was thinking of the final boss in the dark story in Sonic Adventure 2. Yay, Sonic vs. Shadow.

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Notes for PiT 047: Dyed in Lovely Darkness…

I'm probably never going to get out of my NiGHTS mindset. If anyone didn't realize it, the city Shadow sacks this time is Bellbridge. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAA!!! I am more evil than Wizeman will ever be! Just kidding. (Sorry, went fan girl for a second there. I'm back now, so it's cool.)

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Notes for PiT 048: Vainglory or Abandonment?

When I was writing this, my mind was kinda in the fanfic _Reala: King of Nightmares_. Nothing else.

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Notes for PiT 049: Messenger of Ruination

Unlike the other four in this block, several things went into this PiT. First, I remember long ago there was a day when the entire world was tinged in green. It was freakishly awesome. Another thing that influenced this story was one of the chapters from Tim O'Brian's _The Things They Carried_, where Jimmy (? I'll have to look that one up…) gets killed and Tim describes it like the light was his demise. The question at the end was inspired by the flavor text on the Magic the Gathering card 'Second Sunrise'. Yay.

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Notes for PiT 050: Standing at the Summit

No notes, really.

Yay, fifty. Let's hope I can get through the rest of them, now.


	62. PiT 051: Controller From the Capsule

PiT 051: Controller From the Capsule

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Dark, Hero, Dark, Normal, Normal, Dark

Shadow's hands flew over the glowing keys. He was working up in Colony ARK, trying to get it ready for next week. People would be returning to the ancient space colony, where he ruled. He had extended invitations to Sonic and his friends, as well as Rouge and Omega.

The eternally-young king looked up as the teleported activated. He had moved the one that Eggman had in his pyramid base to Station Square, in the train station. A slim, winged form appeared, and stepped towards him.

"Your Majesty," Rouge said playfully, striding regally forward and giving the black hedgehog a hug.

Shadow blushed at the title, "Please Rouge, you don't have to stand on ceremonies with me. We're friends, remember?"

"Well, we weren't always, were we?" the bat asked as she let the hedgehog go.

"Yes, I remember. I fought so hard to remember, and sometimes," he sighed, "Sometimes, I'm not so sure remembering was worth it."

"Hey, stop being so melancholy, Shadow. You're a king now, you don't get to show your feelings anymore."

Shadow sighed again, and stopped typing, letting his hand come to his wrinkled brow.

"I don't think I can do that."

Rouge stared at him in stunned silence for a second, then her ears lowered angrily. "Shadow!" she snapped, startling the black hedgehog, "What the hell is up with you? You've been able to hide your true motives for years! No one knew why you were going to destroy the earth until we got to see Gerald's diary!"

"Well…"

"And what about the whole time Black Doom was here, huh? We had no friggin' _idea _what the hell you were going to do! I'm sure the President was terrified the entire time!"

"I'm sure you were, too."

"I've been through a lot of crap, Shadow. Not much scares me anymore," her ears raised playfully, "You're unpredictable- that's what I like about you!"

Shadow looked at Rouge with a small hint of suspicion in his eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Rouge's face set in a serious stare, and her sharp, cyan eyes pierced his ruby ones.

"I mean, you've been great at hiding your true self in the past, so much that no one knows what you'll do next. While it's scary, you make it less scary when you act confident. You make me feel safe when you act like your in control, even if _nothing's_ going right."

"So, what? What do you want me to do?" Shadow asked, truly confused.

Rouge sighed, miffed that her bluntest statements weren't getting through.

"I want you to do what you've been doing this entire time. Go in there, set your face, and lead your people forward, whether or not you know where you're going. The populous is like a horse: If you're scared, they'll know it the instant it happens. You have to be the master, not the servant. Got it?"

"Yeah."

"Good. Let's go see what needs to be done, then!"

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On a walk, who leads: the tugging dog, or the dragged master?


	63. PiT 052: Beyond One's Own Power

PiT 052: Beyond One's Own Power...

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Dark, Hero, Dark, Normal, Normal, Hero

The world was beginning to fall apart. Not literally, but that didn't matter. Super Shadow could feel it everywhere, and it put him on edge. He didn't let his fears show, as that would alarm the populace. He was invincible- he couldn't be scared!

Still, something wasn't right. He had sent spies, trained by Rouge herself, into various groups of people whom he believed were trying to rise against him. But every time he sent someone in, they never returned. He didn't know whether or not they had been persuaded to join whatever phantom enemies he had, or they had been discovered and destroyed. All he knew was that no matter how careful he was when he sent them, they were gone for good.

The hedgehog certainly couldn't bust in there himself, otherwise the world would think him crazy, paranoid, or know he was uncertain, and they would try to take him down.

But he was a god, wasn't he? He was ultimate. The loss of the power-capping rings, the gathering of the Chaos Emeralds, and the ability to retain his Super form- weren't those signs that he was destined for this?

He wouldn't let the world be destroyed, even if it meant giving up himself. They would surely love him for that, right? They had always loved Sonic because of his selflessness.

Shadow would miss their company, if it came to that.

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Even if your mind starts to slip away, does that mean you aren't you anymore?


	64. PiT 053: A Clone's Determination

**PiT 053: A Clone's Determination**

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Dark, Hero, Dark, Normal, Hero, Dark

A shadow of a Shadow. How quaint.

Dr. Robotnik had finally given up on the Shadow Androids, and instead had tried to make a carbon copy of the hedgehog. The Doctor refused to say where he had gotten the DNA, but his first actual success, a charcoal gray hedgehog named Blight, didn't care to find out.

Blight didn't particularly care for his "Master", but he did as he was told, since he had no idea how to control the powers he had inherited from Shadow.

After a perticularly grueling training session, Blight worked up the courage to ask Robotnik something that had been floating around in his mind for weeks.

"Sir," the hedgehog asked, standing in typical military fashion before the Doctor, "I would like permission to seek and capture Shadow the Hedgehog."

The Doctor's eyebrows raised at the request, and his glasses almost fell, but he quickly pushed them back up.

"I don't know, Blight. You're not really even ready to take on Sonic, or any of his friends yet. What could possibly make you believe that you could take on Shadow?"

"I'm his clone, so I should be his equal, should I not?" Blight asked, eyes still forward.

"I guess..." the Doctor replied heasitantly. He didn't want this one little success to walk out the door, most likely never to return.

"I would also get more practice if I traveled a little."

"But-"

"Not to mention, if I caught Shadow, you could use him to make more clones."

Robotnik said nothing after this last suggestion. Blight was smarter than the Doctor had imagined to have come up with that. However, there was one problem with the fake hedgehog's plan.

"The chances of you finding, defeating, and capturing Shadow are almost nonexistant."

"I understand this, sir. I wouldn't ask if I didn't think myself able," Blight replied, finally making eye contact with Robotnik. The doctor finally cracked.

"Fine, you may go. But take a communicator with you, and check back in every so often. I'll not have my hard work put to waste because it thought it could take on something bigger than it."

"Yes sir."

_When you see something better than yourself, do you want it, or do you want to destroy it?_


	65. PiT 054: Android’s Utopia

PiT 054: Androids Utopia

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Dark, Hero, Dark, Normal, Hero, Hero

The light crunch of leaves sounded from underneath King Shadow's feet. The Android King had decided to explore his realm a little, since he had finally gotten away from his duties. Shadow had left Omega in charge, letting the Android's synthetic mind be at ease.

A wind whistled pass him, playing with his artificial fur. It brought distant noises to his sound receptors: the chirping of birds; the rustle of leaves; even minuscule, metallic creaks of far-off robots.

A rustle above the Android drew his attention to a small chao examining him from the foliage.

"Why are you so far from home?" King Shadow asked, holding his hands high for the little chao to land on. It fluttered down, shining black skin reflecting the sunlight. The chao chattered at him, but the Android King merely flicked his ears incomprehensively. The chao language was surprisingly complex, since it seemed to shift from chao to chao. Maybe someday his anroid brain would be able to comprehend it, but for now all he could do was head to the chao garden within his realm in search of Cream.

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When you don't understand, is the true meaning lost?


	66. PiT 055: A Toast to the Ruler

**PiT 055: A Toast to the Ruler**

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Dark, Hero, Dark, Hero, Dark, Dark

Rouge's laugh rang off of the high, vaulted walls and ceiling. She sat on Shadow's left, while Omega stood behind the hedgehog's high throne. It had been a long time coming, but the black hedgehog finally obtained the kind of power he knew he was destined to have.

Granted, he didn't control the whole world, just a fair portion. But it was an entire continent, and a large one at that. Granted, it was a frozen wasteland, farther north than any other land. But it was his, and he was proud of it nonetheless. Granted, Rouge froze her ass off almost constantly. But she was a strong, adaptable girl.

Granted, his kingdom wasn't necessarily ideal to most rulers, and Sonic and his friends got the kingdoms they wanted, Shadow didn't mind. He had something that was his, and his alone.

"I'd like to propose a toast," Rouge cried aloud, standing. Though the black hedgehog didn't show it, he would have blushed right there.

"To who?" a voice challenged playfully from the other end of the table. The onyx hedgehog could tell from the tone of the voice that its owner was drunk.

"To His Majesty the King, of course," Rouge replied, the tone in her voice very matter-of-fact. The bat turned her face to Shadow and smiled in a way that made the hedgehog uneasy, but he was unsure as to why. "Shadow, I'd like to congratulate you on your success on obtaining this land, crappy though it may be, and for being able to rule it with the grace and ability that we all know you have. Cheers!" She called out, raising her glass. Shadow raised his, and the rest of their company did as well, and all downed their glasses in their own way. Shadow sipped his, while Rouge downed hers with a very satisfied look on her face.

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Who are your friends, and who are your enemies?


	67. Author’s Notes 11

**Author's Notes 11**

Damn, how long's it been? I've had a couple chappies written up for a while, I just haven't gotten around to posting/typing them is all. Weird, huh? Anyway, here's me notes.

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Notes for PiT 051: Controller From the Capsule

Meh. Just a comment on how flaky politicians can be with power. And how easily controlled they are.

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Notes for PiT 052: Beyond One's Own Power...

I love the idea of someone's mind slipping away from them, heading straight into fear, paranoia, and just plain insanity. Lol, like in _One Flew Over the Kuckoo's Nest _by Ken Kesey.

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Notes for PiT 053: A Clone's Determination

Thinking of a certain hedgehog from the _Bloodties_ Trilogy, (No, NOT Mana) who is literally Shadow's clone. He's got abandonment issues, and is looking for a chance to prove himself kind of thing.

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Notes for PiT 054: Androids Utopia

I was thinking of language barriers when I came up with this. Also, too many of my characters can speak Chao. I decided to make Shadow different in this story line.

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Notes for PiT 055: A Toast to the Ruler

Really, my head was in _Dragon Outcast_ (By E.E. Knight) when I was writing this. Specifically, I was thinking of how Nilrasha acts around RuGaard (the Copper).

There's me notes, and I'm stickin' to 'em!


	68. Pit 056: Answer From the Black Comet

**Pit 056: Answer From the Black Comet**

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Dark, Hero, Dark, Hero, Dark, Hero

No. Pure and simple. Shadow knew nothing but war would become of contacting the Black Comet. When he had translated Black Doom's reply to the world, the majority of the human population thought he was joking. Rouge knew better. So did the President, Sonic, Tails, and all the rest that knew he wouldn't joke about something so serious.

War meant work. Shadow, along with many worthy warriors, were to teleport to Colony ARK via the teleported Eggman still had in his Pyramid base and use the ARK to warp to the Black Comet.

Shadow strode down the stony corridors of Eggman's old base, Sonic on his right and Rouge on his left. Amy walked behind the blue hedgehog, crying silently. Both the male hedgehogs had decided it best not to bring someone so young into such a dangerous situation. She, Tails, and Cream would remain on Colony ARK to guide Sonic, Shadow, Rouge, Knuckles, The Rogues, and Eggman back home once they had completed their task.

"Hey Shadow," Sonic said, giving his onyx-colored counterpart a sideways look.

"What?"

"Do you honestly think we're ready for this? I mean, yeah, I've saved the world loads of times before without ever even fearing for my safety." Sonic hesitated for a second, both in gait and speech, but he then quickly continued with both, "But this time, I'm not so sure. I feel like I'm walking straight to the executioner." He then fell silent and let his gaze drop to the floor.

Shadow didn't know what to make of the young hedgehog's confession. Sonic had always seemed so confident and sure of himself that Shadow often forgot that the blue hedgehog was only a teenager.

The black hedgehog stopped, his entire tacit party halting behind him. He turned to Sonic and put his hands on the blue's slender shoulders. Sonic's head rose slowly until his emerald eyes met with Shadow's ruby ones.

"Sonic," Shadow started, his mouth suddenly dry. He ignored it and continued his speech anyway, "If there is one constant thing I've noticed throughout my existence, it's that you, the people here, and the entirety of this planet's population are always able to rise to any occasion, no matter how daunting the task. Do I think we're ready? Probably not. This is a deadly foe the likes of which we've never seen before. Will we let that dishearten us?" Shadow let the question linger on the air as he waited in silence for Sonic's reply.

The blue hedgehog stood silently for a moment, thinking.

His quiet response: "No."

_Should you always live up to the expectations others have for you if it makes you break apart?_


	69. PiT 057: Transcendentalism

**PiT 057: Transcendentalism**

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Dark, Hero, Dark, Hero, Normal, Dark

His search for truth had some surprisingly positive effects. It had inspired some of those around him to seek certain truths for themselves as well. They harassed the government, peers, and even family members, always wanting "Truth".

Numbrax wasn't surprised by where these people took it.

They started meeting in groups, chanting the name "Shadow" like they would some god. They hedgehog was bothered whenever they saw him, and for a while he ignored the fanatics.

However, when a group of them invited 'The Holy One', as he had been so decorated, to one of their 'Meetings of Truth', the curious hedgehog went along.

The group's meeting was in a place hidden amongst the trees on a night of the new moon, where they talked in voices so low that even Numbrax had trouble hearing them.

Somewhere in the middle of the meeting Numbrax rose to his feet, his deparding word uttered with the utmost disgust.

"Hypocrites."

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If you don't follow for yourself, are you following the leader or the group?


	70. PiT 058: Imperialism

**PiT 058: Imperialism**

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Dark, Hero, Dark, Hero, Normal, Hero

Shadow Android walked with confidence through the halls of his ever-expanding fortress. The humans with which his empire was at war were surprisingly resilient flesh bags.

He had been called many things throughout the years, his favorite title being "Emperor". Shadow Android was unsure as to why he enjoyed it so much, but "Emperor Shadow" just had a ring to it that he liked.

"Your Majesty," a voice said from behind as Omega strode up to Shadow Android as elegantly as a robot of his bulk could. Shadow Android turned, noting that he also enjoyed that title.

"Yes, Omega?" the Android asked, looking the ruby-colored robot in the eye.

"It seems that the humans have attempted to infiltrate the fortress. We have captured them. What do you wish to do?"

"Let's go pay them a visit. An Emperor who doesn't attend to his guests is surely someone to scorn. Lead the way, Omega."

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Do you make your name, or does it make you?


	71. PiT 059: The Weight of One's Crimes

**PiT 059: The Weight of One's Crimes**

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Dark, Hero, Dark, Hero, Hero, Dark

The consequences of the murder had blindsided Shadow. Sure, the hedgehog had expected the ruthless hunting, the constant running, the fear of being caught, imprisoned, and inevitably being destroyed. He had expected the hatred and anger and frustrated _hurt _of the family and friends of the man he killed. He knew all that would be heaped on him. He could bear it with ease, having borne other hatreds falsely heaped on him with nothing more than a heartless countenance to match a stony heart.

This was strangely different, though. It sung somewhere; someplace so deep inside that he wasn't sure where it hurt or how badly he was wounded or whether or not he couldn't heal it with time.

It was like the ARK incident filled with regret and fear and a deep, burning sorrow that wouldn't go away no matter how hard Shadow forced himself not to think about it, and thought it was like the ARK, it wasn't: it had guilt thrown in there, making it even more of a never-ending nightmare that Shadow could see no end to…

Wait.

There is _one _way to make it go. All it takes is a little strength.

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Is there another way to avoid consequences than prevention?


	72. PiT 060: Imprisoned By the Past

**PiT 060: Imprisoned By the Past...**

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Dark, Hero, Dark, Hero, Hero, Hero

Shadow found history an amazing subject. The way he could see how the world around him was created awed him to no end, even if he didn't show it.

The thing that amazed him more, however, was the fact that most humans –even those in power, who he thought should know how their world functions –disregarded the past as nothing.

Shadow had seen this self-righteous behavior before in what Gerald had called the '4th Great Civilization'. It was a nation of Echidnas, which, if Knuckles was anything to go off of, should have been impossible to eradicate, and _they_ were wiped easily from the face of all existence by the God of the Chao.

Chao! Of all gods that could or might have done so, it was the deity of one of the most pathetic species of creature in all the Universe!

If that was the case and such a thing was merely just a warning shot from ethereal forces, they were in trouble. 'Mr. President' as he was so deemed had been off on a very 'Manifest Destiny' like campaign, with the whole _world_ as his west coast.

"Let's learn from these past mistakes, shall we?" Shadow murmured, collecting his notes and getting ready for one hell of an ordeal.

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If you see the end of the line coming, will your screams prevent calamity?


	73. Author’s Notes 12

**Author's Notes 12**

Holy! I've been so busy with school and such I almost forgot this existed. Sorry to keep people guessing, but here's me notes:

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Notes for Pit 056: Answer From the Black Comet:

So, I'd like to point out the fact that despite his heroics, Sonic's still just a kid, no older than myself at this point. And I, personally, am very jacked up in the head with much more mundane problems. So how do you think he feels?

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Notes for PiT 057: Transcendentalism:

I didn't know what transcendentalism was, but I figured that since 'transcend' means 'to go beyond' that that would probably be close. Well, and I looked up the word, so that helped. This story was meant to be cynical of religions and secret societies, really. (Don't kill me!)

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Notes for PiT 058: Imperialism:

Not much, really. Just a thing about names. If you _really _want something interesting having to do with names, go read XXXHolic. (Okay, shameless advertising over.)

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Notes for PiT 059: The Weight of One's Crimes:

If anyone's read _The City of Ember_, then they know about where the whole unexpected consequences thing comes from. That's about it, really.

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Notes for PiT 060: Imprisoned By the Past...:

I _do_ believe in the old line 'history repeats itself', which is where the idea for this stemmed, thank you very much.

Trying to pick it up, so please don't be mad at me, or curious as to where I've gone: I'm just trying to not epically fail school is all.


	74. PiT 061: The Ultimate World Conquest

**PiT 061: The Ultimate World Conquest**

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Dark, Hero, Normal, Dark, Dark, Dark

Shadow strode alongside his general, Crystal. He was nowhere near stupid enough to lead from the front and let his enemies waste their ammunition in him. However, he had too much pride in himself to lead from behind his ruby-and-onyx army.

Shadow had been right in taking Mystic first, as its people were unprepared for anything, as they had been sleepy and befuddled, attempting to tear themselves from dreams as Shadow's men tore them from their lives.

The mountain city was Shadow's stronghold now, and it made a wondrous fortress.

"Sir, do you think this final stronghold will last?"

Connect, a second buried city, rivaled Mystic in defensive abilities, and had been a second choice for Shadow's stronghold. The hedgehog thought about his loyal subordinate's question and decided he could answer truthfully.

II think it will. At least, for a while. It depends on how much food they've stored for _this _winter."

"I understand, sir," Crystal replied, returning her eyes to the front.

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Does it need to be in black-and-white for it to be clear?


	75. PiT 062: Black Angel

**PiT 062: Black Angel**

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Dark, Hero, Normal, Dark, Dark, Hero

"What a grand, cosmic joke," Shadow mumbled to himself, inspecting his surroundings as he came out of his unconscious stupor. The 'cosmic joke' in question was the set of feathery wings sprouting from between his shoulder spikes. They were black for the most part, but edged in crimson, to match his fur markings.

As he got a better look at his surroundings, Shadow realized there were no doors in his metallic prison, but there was a nearly invisible seam running from the floor, up the wall and across the ceiling to run down the other wall to start over again on the floor. A low humming seemed to fill the air around him, making the hedgehog uneasy.

Another thing Shadow noticed was that he had been stripped of his shoes and gloves -not his power-inhibiting rings, of course- and had gained a collar around his throat.

"Good thing you're up, 343-Beta," a cheery, female voice rang out of the collar, "'Cause here's your first lesson - flying!"

A whistling sound picked up just outside of his prison, overtaking the humming, and along the seam the metal split apart like a giant egg. Suddenly, Shadow was engulfed in blue, with white clouds approaching fast below.

What to do? Shadow had been through this kind of thing before and lived. But he had gotten lucky that time. He wasn't Super, so that wouldn't save him. No plane, no parachute, no _time_…

Wait.

The voice had mentioned flying. Shadow dimly remembered he had wings now. He figured they were his best bet, and his brain told them to stretch, and they unfurled a little. He then released them like a parachute with a _whoosh_ and winced as the wind smacked into them.

But he slowed dramatically, and he tried a wing stroke. It slowed him more, so he repeated the movement until he was hovering.

"Good job, 343-Beta. Now, there's a chopper headed for you. Follow it, and you'll be filled in on what's happening." the voice said.

"Fine. I'll go along with your little game," Shadow mumbled, and added in his mind, _Until I get my things back._

Is it truly best to learn by experience if the experience kills you?


	76. PiT 063: Under Darkness' Control

**PiT 063: Under Darkness' Control**

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Dark, Hero, Normal, Dark, Normal, Dark

The Master didn't accept failures, or cowards, or those who were just plain weak. Shadow had gotten lucky with his natural abilities, which enabled him to be a unique, powerful, and extremely indispensible warrior.

Not that Shadow was worried, since the Master was kind and doled out mercy in plentiful amounts. Of course, that didn't stop the hedgehog from taking every chance he hat to prove himself to the Master. That way, if Shadow faltered even once, the Master was more likely to overlook the failure, if it was minor enough.

The humans conquered by the Master's army were looked over, with the healthy- or rather, lucky- ones spared to be servants or helpers for the soldiers. Those who weren't fit would… Well, some of the soldiers had exotic tastes…

Only the unruly, healthy humans were put _into_ the army. That way their fighting spirits could be put somewhere useful.

Not that the Master was ever scared of an uprising.

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When you're under someone's heel, how do you get up?


	77. PiT 064: To Love Oneself

**PiT 064: To Love Oneself**

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Dark, Hero, Normal, Dark, Normal, Hero

Shadow sped quietly through the corridors of Eggman's fortress where his daughter was being held, two thoughts in his mind: A) how he was going to get Maria out, and B) how badly he was going to break Eggman for taking his daughter.

The cell block. How many times had Shadow been there? More than he could count. He hoped this was the last visit to add to the tally. He had been held in a cell here before, but it hadn't lasted.

Something in the back of his head led the way, and it took a somewhat physical form. A shadowy form in the shape of a sinewy, black-and-red jester, wielding a glowing, color-changing scepter, led the way. He danced gracefully ten feet ahead of Shadow whiled floating a good three feet off the ground and twirling his scepter enchantingly.

Suddenly, the jester stopped, and he pointed to the cell in front of himself. As Shadow approached, the jester disappeared, but the gentle glow of his scepter remained as Shadow burst open the door.

"Daddy?" a voice asked timidly from inside as the light flooded around Shadow and into the cell.

"I'm here, Maria. Let's get you out of here."

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Even if you don't think you know, shouldn't you try?


	78. PiT 065: Revenge and Determination

**PiT 065: Revenge and Determination**

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Dark, Hero, Normal, Dark, Hero, Dark

Seven Emeralds to get…

The first one was easy enough, seeing as no one saw him coming. He was fast but stealthy, easily infiltrating the base where the gem was. Sure, there were soldiers and guards. But they couldn't catch him. When the battle mech burst out of absolutely nowhere, it _did_ manage to slow Shadow down. Only just a little, thought. He wouldn't give up now…

Six laying in wait…

The gem was buried deep in the ice and snow, like it had hidden itself from the unworthy. Shadow proved himself the opposite as he dug, his frozen extremities always cooperating with his brain somehow. He remembered his first gem, and decided to put it to work. Chaos Spear was doable with an Emerald, and a far better shovel than his hands. After gouging for a while, soft light bathed the snow. Then Shadow was off…

Five remaining…

With a splash, Shadow leapt into the water. He didn't need to breathe, and could withstand extreme pressure. Not like it was that deep anyway. He found the gem hiding among the bright corals and vibrant sea life. He took it and moved on for the next one…

Four more…

He could taste his revenge as he scoured the desert. Instead of checking the stereotypical tombs, he was out among the sand dunes. As he came to an oasis, Shadow found Chao. And the next Chaos Emerald…

Three unattained…

Shadow could be quite the card shark when he wanted. A real high-roller. And nothing gets much higher than a Chaos Emerald…

Two still out there…

Ancient ruins were great for hiding rare things. Great for finding them, too…

One left…

He got that one off a broken blue adversary.

_Shouldn't you get _some_ fruit for your labors?_


	79. Author’s Notes 13

**Author's Notes 13**

I've been working on picking this back up, and I think it's been working pretty well. I hope you all enjoy, because I know I am.

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Notes for PiT 061: The Ultimate World Conquest:

I've absolutely none! Woot!

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Notes for PiT 062: Black Angel:

Just thinking of the _Maximum Ride_ series by James Patterson when I wrote this, so nothing special (but you should read it if you haven't, because it's really good.)

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Notes for PiT 063: Under Darkness' Control:

The 'natural abilities' line comes from the 'Micromanagement' episode of Danny Phantom, and I had to have that _somewhere_ in the BoS.

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Notes for PiT 064: To Love Oneself:

For those of you who know _anything_ about NiGHTS, you'll know who the jester is supposed to be like. That, and I wanted to say something for paternal instincts ('cause we all know about _ma_ternal instincts.)

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Notes for PiT 065: Revenge and Determination:

The countdown was supposed to be a little like the poem from _Ten Little Indian Boys_ by Agatha Christie. Oh, and take a look at the number of sentences in each paragraph…

As I said, hope you all enjoy, and keep reading, keep thinking.


	80. PiT 066: Birth of the Robot Emperor

**PiT 066: Birth of the Robot Emperor**

_Dark, Hero, Normal, Dark, Hero, Hero_

Shadow Android looked calmly into the eyes of his captives. Many of them he recognized from when he actually rose to his place in power over Robotnik's robots. A little smirk haunted his lips, and it only grew as he recognized more and more faces.

His synthetic eyes rested on Rouge's, and the smirk dropped like a rock off a cliff.

"I thought you were wiser than that," he said plainly.

"You're making this planet uninhabitable for organics, Shadow. Am I supposed to lay down and die?" Rouge asked, knowing exactly who the question was aimed at.

Shadow Android thought about the question. Rouge was smart, and understanding, and she always could worm her way out of a tough situation. She was not, apparently, able to face the cold hands of steel and win. He looked this bat woman in the eyes, and saw icy anger that might have scared him long ago, when he was a weak little subordinate.

The Android Emperor's smirk reappeared on his face as he replied.

"Yes."

_If your friends turn on you, are they instantly your enemies, or can you win them back?_


	81. PiT 067: Shadow, the Black Android

**PiT 067: Shadow, the Black Android**

_Dark, Hero, Normal, Normal, Dark, Dark_

Doctor Robotnik was not going to be happy of Shadow Android's rebellion or his alliance with Omega. The rogue Android didn't really care what the Doctor thought, but he was a little anxious- if the synthetic being could _be _anxious- about what the Doctor would do about him.

Shadow Android sat atop a cliff that he had reached through flight and silently stared at the half moon hanging lazily in the night sky.

"Mr. Shadow?" a timid, high-pitched voice asked from behind him.

Shadow Android's head jerked around as his ruby eyes beheld a young rabbit that had been introduced to him as Cream, and the Chao atop her head was Cheese.

"How did you get up here, girl? You'd have to fly."

"I did," Cream replied, then she added shyly, "Mr. Omega sent me to find you- they've been caught and are fighting some of Dr. Robotnik's robots."

Shadow Android's eyes widened, and he shot up.

"Where?" he asked.

"I'm not quite sure, but Cheese here does."

"Chao chao! Cha cha chao chao ch chao!" the little Chao said as soon as he was mentioned.

"I don't understand."

"I do," Cream said, taking off, "Follow me."

Shadow Android leapt off the cliff and snatched the rabbit girl from the air, having her interpret the Chao's directions.

_Does age hinder or help?_


	82. PiT 068: A Solitary Android

**PiT 068: A Solitary Android**

_Dark, Hero, Normal, Normal, Dark, Hero_

"Well, there's what happens when you stick me with two units and a hedgehog used to destroying them," Beta mumbled to himself as he stared down at Sonic's form outlined in the dusty wreckage. "Better take him while he's blind."

Beta warped in behind Sonic and kicked him neatly in the back of the head, landing and jumping as far back from the blue hedgehog as he could. Sonic wasn't quite sent sprawling, but he did have his brain rattled a little. Sonic turned to see his attacker.

"Doesn't Eggman have anything better to do with his time then spend it making more fakes?" Sonic asked aloud. Beta narrowed his eyes and warped above Sonic, cracking his feet into Sonic's skull. This time the blue hedgehog dropped to his knees and had his head shoved into dirt and grime as Beta leapt off. The Android waited for Sonic to rise again.

Sonic staggered to his feet, both of his knees bleeding. He chuckled a little.

"Looks like Eggman's starting to upgrade a bit," he said cordially.

Beta raised an eyebrow an warped to one side of Sonic, sweeping one of his legs into the backs of Sonic's knees. Sonic seemed to see this coming and let his knees hinge forward to absorb Beta's kick. The Android refused to loose his balance, however, and swept Sonic's feet out from underneath him.

This time, however, Beta started relentlessly kicking Sonic in the side, giving the blue hedgehog no time to do anything except for hope his arms were enough of a shield.

Beta finished his onslaught by holding his hand- palm forward- in Sonic's face while he kept the hedgehog pinned with his heavy foot.

"What do you plan to do?" Sonic asked, weakly but smugly, "Smack me?"

Light and energy formed in the palm of Beta's hand, millimeters from Sonic's face. Beta smirked as Sonic's confident expression began to fade a bit.

Suddenly the android cut off energy to his attack, and removed his foot from Sonic's chest.

"It would be far more fun to wipe you out if you hadn't already been weakened from taking on my subordinates," Beta explained, disappearing in a flash of Chaos Control.

_When is it mercy and when is it sport?_


	83. PiT 069: Over the Original

**PiT 069: Over the Original**

_Dark, Hero, Normal, Normal, Normal, Dark_

Shadow's ears perked as he heard a familiar sound.

It was the sound of his very own Chaos Control.

He turned to the source and blinked in surprise.

It was him.

"Hello," said his reflection calmly, "I'm here to destroy you."

The reflection reached for his throat, and the two began tussling in the G.U.N base corridor, trading jabs, knees, minor kicks, Chaos burns, and bites as they rolled around locked together like a couple of fighting tomcats.

The sound of hustling G.U.N soldiers filled the air as the pair of hedgehogs looked up. The synthetic hedgehog looked up at the original and grinned.

"I think we should take our quarrel elsewhere."

He warped them far away.

_When your reflection is trying to kill you, is it suicide or murder?_


	84. Pit 070: Machine Sunshine

**Pit 070: Machine Sunshine**

_Dark, Hero, Normal, Normal, Normal, Hero_

King Shadow's dour mood was not aided by the horrible weather. A good amount of his robots were not able to handle water, snow, hail, or any combination of the three. Thus, they came to him for protection, and his castle was only able to handle so many robots before it was full.

His own quarters were in use by Omega, whose weatherproofing was being fixed up by Tails. The young fox was of great help to the Android King, and although the young engineer's home wasn't technically with the robots, he practically lived with them. Shadow was tempted to ask the fox to stay.

King Shadow knew he shouldn't though- Sonic would probably jump down his throat.

But what about his robots? Didn't he have his own to think of as well? He was no genius when it came to his own circuitry, let alone that of all the robots he protected.

The King was stuck between an oncoming wall and the edge of a cliff, and his flight wouldn't save him here. He was sure this is what glass in an Organic's eyes must feel like- extremely painful but utterly unreachable.

He couldn't falter here and shatter in front of those he protected or those who he called his allies.

King Shadow rose into the air, rain sliding through his synthetic fur and off his slender frame.

"I'll ask," he decided, flying towards his castle and his turning point.

_Just how heavy is the mantle of responsibility?_


	85. Author’s Notes 14

**Author's Notes 14**

Wow, a completely Shadow-Android block. That's pretty funny, 'cause I actually kinda liked writing these. I've taken so long 'cause I've had some rearranging to do with PiTs and which storylines they went with. Now I'm all decided and all that good stuff, back from vacation, and ready to pick this up again. Here's me notes-

Notes for PiT 066: Birth of the Robot Emperor:

I was thinking of an old friend of mine that was (pardon my bitchiness) stolen from me by her bastard of a father. I'm still bitter about that, and thus- why I hate traitors.

Notes for PiT 067: Shadow, the Black Android:

Nothing really special or anything went into this. Just moving things along.

Notes for PiT 068: A Solitary Android:

I've always thought that evil people don't really let their enemies live out of true mercy, but more out of their want for sport. So, that's what that's all about at the end.

Notes for PiT 069: Over the Original:

I don't quite know if I've ever mentioned this earlier, but I've got a serious case of reflection-phobia. I've also always imagined dying at the hands of my reflection. And then there's the funny question my friend asked me the other day- If you mate with a clone of yourself, is it masturbation or incest (Also, for you sick-minded people out there, look at the number of the PiT…)? So, here's a death-related version of that question.

Notes for PiT 070: Machine Sunshine:

I was listening to _Breaking Inside _by Shinedown while writing this PiT (and during the notes for it too, for that matter…) and that incorporated itself into this PiT. The thought of a sovereign unsure of what to do for their kingdom is quite serious (but I still hate Princess Sally). Also, the last line mentioning a "turning point" is a reference to D.J. McHale's _Pendragon_ series. Go, read. I demand you do.

Well, I'm back, my boyfriend's leaving for camp in a couple weeks, and all I have to do all day is work on my comics, take care of my niece, write, and jack around on the net. So, in all likely hood, I'll be dealing with my fics and the BoS more.


	86. PiT 071: Life is Guilty

**PiT 071: Life is Guilty**

_Dark, Hero, Normal, Normal, Hero, Dark_

"Sir, I'd really appreciate it if you just took a look," Shadow said, his deep reservoirs of patience nearly depleted. He had been fighting an uphill battle against bureaucracy and stupidity for the last couple of months, and he had just now gotten to the President, who refused to even listen to the onyx hedgehog.

"Those things happened years ago, Shadow," the President said, looking Shadow in the eyes.

"That doesn't mean that things similar to them aren't able to happen," Shadow replied for the umpteenth time, "And I've written down several places where events have repeated themselves throughout history. Five massive and destructive wars caused for horribly similar reasons, three famines and what they did to the surrounding peoples, the eradications of two civilizations that we know of and so many-"

"Shadow," the President cut the hedgehog off, "You're beginning to sound like someone with conspiracy theories."

Shadow's eyes narrowed briefly at the remark, and he said, "Sir, I believe it to be the nature of humans and anthropomorphic animals that causes these patterns, not any one or two cabals. I've seen something very similar to your cause in the actions of the Fourth Great Civilization, and they were wiped out because of it."

"You're saying the planet will be destroyed if I continue my expansion?" the President asked with suspicion.

"No!"

"Then what are you saying?"

"I'm saying you should be more careful, sir. The people whose lands you are… acquiring… may have some sort of secret weapon that they'd be willing to unleash if pressured enough."

"How would you know?" More suspicion in the President's voice.

"I don't, sir. But you should be careful because you _don't _know what they have is what I'm saying."

"If they try anything, I'll just send you in, Shadow. They may have their secret weapons, but I've got you. Is that clear?"

Shadow checked the President's eyes to make sure the man hadn't gone insane. It didn't quite look like it, so the hedgehog replied in a defeated tone, "Yes, sir."

_When you put it in plain words, shouldn't your message get across?_


	87. Final Notes

Final Notes

* * *

_As it stands, I am stopping the _Book of Shadow_. I am unhappy with how it is written, but I want to keep it up on the site for future reference (and word/story counts, let's be honest.) The chapters were short, erratic, and many of them were little more than bored ramblings which I look back upon with something similar to disgust.__  
_

_However, I am still enthralled with the idea of using the story titles from _Shadow the Hedgehog_. So, another story has been created-_I Am_. I wish for it to be many things-character study of one of SEGA's most interestin__g characters; a daily regimen so that I may always be writing; a chance to stop and think about how I really perceive the world. Most of all, I want it to be a tribute to the black-and-red enigma of the Sonic universe._

_So I entreat you, reader, to go and see the _Book of Shadow _in its new incarnation: _I Am.

_As I am, _

_~Lady Spritzy  
_


End file.
